remember our roots.

For thousands of years, people have walked the Earth and participated, knowingly and unknowingly, in the cultivation of food and the stewardship of the land. Tribes and clans of people would use methods of controlled fire and location-specific replanting to manage what are now referred to as “food forests”. Coastal peoples would spread clams and oysters into the shallow areas of rivers and estuaries to assist in healthy population growth. Maize would be planted in monocrops (yes, monocrops) for hundreds of acres and managed collectively, in accordance with the seasons. Folks would revere concepts around the “hunt” which served as de facto population management of herding animals, trade seeds and grains between cultures and maybe even spread a few simply by answering nature’s call. At RealRoots, we are in deep acknowledgement of this reality and want those that participate in our volunteering programs to understand this as a source of our mission.

a modern look.

At RealRoots, it is part of our mission to increase participation in our modern food system. We are attempting to re-establish the connection between people and they way their food is grown, and do it in a way that centers methods of alternative exchange and personal autonomy. We are experimenting with different mechanisms for the people of the Richmond area to do that in as large a capacity as possible. We are trying to give people from all walks of life creative and flexible ways to plug-in.

eat what we grow

In addition to the volunteer experience, we will try our best to make sure you leave with some of the food you contributed to growing. In 2024, this will look like a share of fresh produce from the area of the land we dedicate to donation and mutual aid. This hopefully will be bolstered by various seconds from the production side of the farm, and the occasional meal cooked from the produce we grow.

Real roots is a business.

Just so there’s no confusion, RealRoots Food Systems is a “for-profit” LLC that sells produce, compost products and provides paid soil consultation services. We have a for-profit business model, and we want the people who buy our food, participate in our program and utilize our services to know how important the work they do is to us and to local farmers. We believe that in many cases, housing the work that needs to be done inside of a non-profit leads to the potential capture of its vision based on the ever growing pressures of a non-profit industrial complex. We very transparently want and need to be financially viable as a stand alone business, while simultaneously using our land, resources and skills to contribute to the new farming models of the future. Whether you join the Workforce program or not, your support of RRFS in any way will mean more food grown locally, less waste in landfills, meaningful collection of research around waste diversion and soil biology, cheaper more potent fertility for local farmers, and opportunities for more people to participate in their food system.