Food Co-op Donates $100,000 to Viva Farms

A monumental moment for a monumental year: to kick off the Skagit Valley Food Co-op's 50th anniversary year, we are so proud to announce that the Co-op has donated $100,000 to Viva Farms to support local, organic agriculture and the future of farming in Skagit Valley!

The Co-op has been supporting local producers and giving back to community since 1973 and we could not imagine a more powerful way to continue our commitment as we head into the next 50 years than this new partnership with Viva Farms and our Growing Good Fund. The Co-op's board of directors established the Growing Good Fund to cement the Co-op's legacy in the Valley, with a strong focus on the cooperative principle "Concern for Community."

Our food co-op's legacy already has a firm foundation as a provisioner of safe, healthy food choices, our working relationships with local farmers and our economic impact as one of Skagit County's largest employers. Yet, some questions have lingered as the board continues its strategic planning: "How can we parlay our depth of experience in food matters to broaden our influence to help make healthy food more accessible and available to more people? What role should we play to help solidify healthy long-term food systems and security in our community? Who should we partner with and why? How can the Co-op play an even bigger role in local agriculture and food resiliency?"

Big questions, now with an answer: more local farmland means more food for our community and that is a legacy worth investing in. But instead of reinventing the wheel, or creating a Co-op Farm Fund, we decided to partner with Viva Farms, because the groundwork has already been laid. In fact, Viva is a well-oiled machine with over a decade of known success.

Founded in 2009, Viva Farms is a non-profit Skagit Valley organic farm and beginning farmer support organization with a mission to preserve sustainable farming and create a resilient and just local food system. Viva empowers beginning and historically-underserved farmers by providing bilingual (Spanish-English) training in organic farming, along with access to essential start-up resources, including equipment infrastructure, capital and markets.

Viva Farms exists as a proactive and practical response to the current generational crisis: the simultaneous rapid loss of farmland and skilled farmers and increased food needs. In the next 20 years, 70% of all Washington farmers are expected to retire and take their knowledge with them and there's potential their farmland will no longer be farmed.

Viva Farms is creating a succession plan – training the next generation of farmers to care for our land, grow our food and nourish our communities – a cutting-edge farming model located right here in Skagit Valley.

Viva's values are evident in the work. Economic viability is critical and after starting with just five farmers, farming on eight acres, Viva has since educated over 1,400 beginning farmers (350+ Spanish speakers) in sustainable organic farming and business management. Now, they are one of the largest – in both acreage and sales – and comprehensive farm incubator programs in the nation. 79% of Viva farmers were profitable in 2021!

In addition to economic viability, Viva cares deeply about environmental sustainability and equity. Viva Farms implements and teaches sustainable and organic agricultural practices to reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, regenerate soil and use less energy. That's a breath of fresh air for Skagit Valley! Viva is committed to increasing healthy food access through discounts and sliding scale pricing to individuals and food banks. Viva has provided nearly 100,000 pounds of local, organic produce to low income consumers and emergency food programs since 2020.

For these reasons, it only makes sense that the Co-op has been working with and contributing to Viva Farms for years. Our produce department has long been carrying fresh, organic produce from Viva Farms and its individual farmers for you to enjoy. And with your help, we have donated thousands of dollars to Viva over the years through our 4% Friday and Tokens for Tomorrow community giving programs. The Co-op even rallied together with people and businesses throughout the Valley to help Viva replace a stolen tractor in 2022!

We are excited to take what has already been a meaningful partnership to the next level. $100,000 is the largest single donation Viva has ever received and we feel certain the impact will carry well into the future.

Viva's work is multi-faceted and complex, with needs that shift based on the weather, other grants and contributions and the sometimes unpredictable nature of farming and demand for food. With that in mind, the board has agreed to flexible use of the funds according to Viva's needs, whether it be equipment, training, land, infrastructure or otherwise. However, moving forward, you can expect to see updates and reports from Viva Farms on how the funds are supporting Viva's mission of empowering aspiring and limited-resource farmers.

Part of the Co-op's partnership with Viva Farms also includes opportunities for you, our beloved member-owners and shoppers, to dig deeper into farming in Skagit Valley. We're kicking off the year with an introductory evening at the Lincoln Theatre on Jan. 26! It's a chance for you to learn more about Viva Farms and its incredible work, as well as getting to know some local farmers who've participated in Viva's programming. We'll be following up the event throughout the year with in-store meet-n-greets and on-farm tours of Viva's operations here in Skagit Valley.

Lastly and maybe most importantly, next time you shop at the Co-op and put Viva Farms produce in your cart, you can take heart, knowing you helped grow it.

Reprinted from the January The Natural Enquirer, with permission.