Land & Table, a grassroots nonprofit, is revitalizing local food systems in the region.
With a mission to support small family farms, enhance food security and promote ecological agriculture, the organization has been at the forefront of fostering a more resilient and sustainable local food network.
Led by co-founder Jason Fowler, Land & Table seeks to address the disconnection many feel from their food sources and rekindle an appreciation for local produce and sustainable farming practices.
“Over 12 years ago, I started asking why there wasn’t any economic development focus on agriculture in the Lynchburg area,” Fowler said.
At the time, Fowler was working with what is now known as the Central Virginia Planning District Commission.
“I brought up the idea of local food’s economic impact, but there weren’t any real studies or numbers to back it up in our region,” Fowler said.
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This gap in data drove him to create a white paper that explored the potential of local food systems, utilizing statewide and national data where local information was scarce.
The white paper, now housed on the Land & Table, sparked conversations among regional leaders about the role of local agriculture in economic development.
“The numbers were significant,” Fowler said, adding that local food systems can contribute substantially to regional economies. From there, the idea of fostering a regional food system began to take root.
In the early stages, Land & Table emerged organically from informal gatherings.
“I sat down with my friend Ben Coleman from Mountain Run Farm,” Fowler said, referring to one of the early advocates for selling directly to consumers. “We asked ourselves two questions: What do we want regional leaders to do for the local food movement? And what are we, as farmers and advocates, going to do to grow and support the movement ourselves?”
These early conversations led to monthly potluck dinners, a tradition that continues to this day.
“We realized that if we’re going to talk about food, we should be eating together,” Fowler said. “So, we turned it into a potluck and the rest is history.”
The gatherings quickly became a hub for farmers, homesteaders and food advocates to discuss ideas, share resources and strengthen the local food community.
Ben Coleman, farm manager or “cow boss” to some, at Mountain Run Farm in Sedalia, has been an integral part of the group since its early days.
“We started about 12 years ago, just to gather people with like minds. We were moving into direct marketing our meats and several other young farmers were popping up,” he said. “We were all going to different farmers markets and we started meeting once a month to share experiences and help each other along.”
Mountain Run Farm has been the home base for these potlucks, though the group has traveled to other farms, hosted guest speakers and even held movie nights.
“It’s truly been a family effort,” Coleman said. “For all of us, feeding our children healthy food is at the top of our priority list. We think that America’s food system is under siege, and we are trying to offer healthy options.”
Coleman said that the monthly potlucks can sometimes seem intimidating for newcomers.
“I’ve heard people say it feels kind of exclusive, but that’s not our intention at all. This is a very welcoming group. We welcome new people every month,” he said.
The group’s next potluck, which will take place on Nov. 9 at Mountain Run Farm, will feature a collaborative pig roast with their farm partners, Restoration Acres Farm, whose animals are raised alongside Coleman’s cattle.
“We’re very collaborative, stacking enterprises on the pasture, which benefits the farm. Restoration Acres is providing the pig, and we’re roasting it together for the potluck,” Coleman said.
The nonprofit’s mission is twofold: to catalyze a thriving regional food system and advance regenerative agriculture.
“We’re focused on promoting local farms and food artisans while also helping families become more self-reliant by growing their own food,” Fowler said.
One of the primary challenges the organization faces is the imbalance between small local producers and large-scale, industrialized agriculture.
“Most of the agricultural subsidies in this country go to large operations,” Fowler said. “There are some grants for small farmers, but nothing like the support that big commodity crops receive.”
This creates a financial strain for local farmers, making it difficult for them to compete with the cheaper, mass-produced food found in grocery stores.
“Local farmers are producing higher-quality food, but without subsidies, it’s often more expensive for consumers,” he said.
Land & Table is working to close this gap by raising awareness and advocating for policy changes that support small-scale, local producers. Fowler said that this shift is not just about economics but about health and community resilience.
“We saw during COVID how fragile the global food system can be. Store shelves emptied and people realized just how disconnected they were from their food sources,” he said. “There’s an illusion that we don’t need to re-localize our food system, but in reality, it’s critically necessary.”
Fowler believes that re-localizing food systems is essential not only for ensuring food security but also for creating a more vibrant, connected community.
“When you buy directly from a local farmer, you’re building a relationship,” he said. “You know where your food comes from, and that connection fosters a healthier community.”
Coleman is passionate about the importance of local food.
“Whoever comes to our meetings is going to meet the people who raise their food. They can talk to us directly to get local beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, eggs, salad, bread, honey. We’re really becoming a resource base for high-quality, local foods,” he said.
Over the years, Land & Table has expanded its scope to include educational programs, marketing support for local producers and even efforts to help families grow their own food. One of their current projects is a regional food guide, a resource aimed at connecting consumers with local farmers, artisans and markets. This guide is part of their broader mission to make local food more accessible and affordable.
In 2022, the organization formalized its structure by becoming an official nonprofit.
“We had someone come to us wanting to donate towards the creation of a local food guide,” Fowler said. “But we weren’t set up to handle donations at the time. That’s what pushed us to take the step to become a nonprofit.”
Now, as an official nonprofit organization, Land & Table is better positioned to expand its impact.
“We’ve been a grassroots network for over a decade, but now we’re looking to scale up and fund our efforts to create a thriving local food system in the Lynchburg region,” Fowler said.
The area they serve includes Lynchburg and the surrounding counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Campbell and Bedford.
“The future is local,” Fowler said. “The future is still in the soil and it’s still on the pasture.”
