Our Farms, Our Families, Our Future!

The Rondout Valley Growers Association is a farmer-led nonprofit organization, deeply rooted both in farming and in community. We are committed to celebrating, educating, and advocating about the importance of local farming. We work to inspire and engage the next generation in order to create a sustainable local food supply and strong agricultural fabric.

Mission – To strengthen our community and economy by supporting local agriculture.

Vision – A world nourished by local farms.

Photo courtesy of Arrowood Farms
Photo courtesy of Back Home Farm

RVGA aims to foster a sustainable economy and a healthy environment. We build community and a sense of place by enhancing connections between people and local agriculture, and by preserving active agricultural open space. RVGA strives to nurture our youth; build awareness; inspire engagement; cultivate knowledge, values, and skills; and promote jobs, careers, and community service.

RVGA educates the public about the importance of local food consumption and local agriculture in economic development, environmental sustainability, and in our community’s health and well being. We partner with schools, human service organizations, and others to increase access to fresh locally-grown food for children, families, and underserved populations.

RVGA seeks to stem the tide of the development of irreplaceable farmland by strengthening farms and our local economy, and supporting innovative farming practices. We want to build our region’s ability to feed all segments of its population and to supply our Hudson Valley and NYC neighbors with the best, most responsibly grown food in the world.

Photo courtesy of Fiddlehead Farm

Farms are an integral part of the Rondout Valley’s cultural landscape and economy

Farms keep land open and beautiful, and protect our natural resources.

But, the ever-increasing challenges of farming as a business and mounting pressures from development make it difficult for many farm businesses to survive. Rondout Valley Growers was organized in 2003 to invigorate the health of farm businesses by undertaking a strong, focused effort to better market Rondout Valley farm products.

Today, RVGA works with farmers and neighbors, institutions, and organizations to educate and create awareness about the importance of agriculture. Our region’s quality of life, food security, culture, economic development, and health all depend upon a vibrant local farming environment and on preservation of open agricultural space.

The RVGA works in these core areas:

In addition we bring a strong voice for farming to the table when and where public policy decision makers and community leaders gather to set the course about food and farming, and its place in the local economy.