Farmers will be able to use plots as small as a half-acre to grow their businesses
Henrico is partnering with the nonprofit Happily Natural Day to create a community farm in Varina that will be available to aspiring and experienced farmers and will help address hunger and food insecurity across the county.
The Board of Supervisors has authorized an initial two-year agreement to create and operate the farm on the county’s 1,052-acre Runnymeade property on Willis Church Road in far southeastern Henrico. The county is preparing the site, with access to water and other infrastructure, and is paying Happily Natural Day $50,000 annually to administer the program and provide support to farmers. Henrico residents will have priority for participation.
“In many ways, the growth and prosperity that Henrico County enjoys today can be traced to the farms and fields of Varina that have sustained our community for centuries,” Varina District Supervisor Tyrone E. Nelson said. “We are proud to honor and continue this outstanding legacy. Our community farm will be a place where Varina’s small farmers and others can nurture their entrepreneurial spirit. By working with the land, they will be able to grow wealth for themselves and their families – just as generations of local farmers have done before them.”
The community farm will encompass 10 acres during its pilot phase and could expand to 20 acres and potentially more, depending on community interest. Farmers will be able to apply to use plots as small as a quarter- or half-acre, beginning in late fall. Details are at runnymeadefarm.com. Once it is operating at capacity year-round, the farm’s annual yield could total as much as 500,000 pounds of produce – a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and flowers, according to Duron Chavis, executive director of Happily Natural Day.
The nonprofit began as a festival in 2003 at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia and has expanded its mission to promote urban agriculture through the operation of community gardens, farms and similar initiatives across central Virginia. At the Varina farm, the nonprofit hopes to attract a mix of experienced and aspiring farmers, including some with no generational ties to farming.
“Happily Natural Day welcomes its collaboration with Henrico County to expand access to community farming, which will provide opportunities for new and seasoned farmers to build wealth and broaden access to fresh, healthy foods,” Chavis said. “Henrico’s support is vital because it will allow farmers to focus on tending to their plots and other core aspects of their business, not on securing land and raising capital. The county is literally widening the runway for folks to enter the vocation at a most critical time.”
As part of its mission, the community farm will help address food insecurity in Henrico. A portion of the produce will go to the Henrico Community Food Bank, supplementing what the nonprofit grows through its community garden.
“Varina residents were the ones who planted the idea for a community garden that local farmers could access,” Nelson said. “As a county, we are excited to see this seed take root and grow – and perhaps eventually expand to more sites across Henrico. A thriving community farm aligns with many of our county’s priorities and values, including support for small businesses and entrepreneurship, nutrition and healthy living, and the preservation of open space and working lands.”
