New Roots is excited to welcome a new cohort of 17 farmers to our 2023 Micro-Producer Academy (MPA) after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The MPA provides training, access to land, and marketing support to small scale farming entrepreneurs who want to sell the produce they grow for supplemental income.

The winter workshop series covers topics like goal setting, marketing, crop planning, budgeting and record keeping to assist growers in developing a simple business plan. These trainings are followed by field-based workshops during the growing season. Interpretation is provided for English language-learners. This year we have interpreters for Dari, Swahili, and Spanish to meet the needs of the participants.

The 17 farmers come from 6 different countries, bring a deep and wide range of entrepreneurial backgrounds, and each is pursuing their own unique vision, from small to large scale. Some of the growers already have their own land while others will grow at New Roots sites around greater Charlottesville. We are looking forward to seeing their dreams come to life this summer!

You can visit New Roots at the IX Farmers’ Market June through October for high quality vegetables. Please support our New Roots growers by purchasing their produce for your family, restaurant, or food related business!