About Land and Table
Who We Are
Land & Table exists to revitalize the connections between local food, land, and community. Our vision is to catalyze and strengthen small family farms, self-reliant families, and community based local food initiatives to create a thriving and resilient local food system in the Lynchburg, Virginia region.
Land & Table is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Lynchburg and surrounding towns and counties, including: Bedford, Amherst, Appomattox, and Campbell Counties.. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. A financial statement is available from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services upon request.. EIN: 92-1404698
Eating Is An Agricultural Act
Kentucky farmer, author, poet and agrarian philospher Wendell Berry, once wrote: “Eating is an agricultural act”. Mr. Berry and other elders of the local food movement are inspiring a new generation to rediscover and restore the lost connections that have been
dis-integrated by our current global food system. Land & Table is just one expression of a worldwide movement in our time to return to the land and relocalize our food system.
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History
Land and Table originally began in November 2011 as an informal grassroots network of farmers, homesteaders, and local food advocates. Our initial meetings were sparked in part by a report titled: ‘Land and Table: Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture and Resilient Food Systems in Virginia’s Region 2000‘ originally produced for the Central Virginia Planning District Commission (formally known as the Region 2000 Local Government Council). This white paper summarized the economic impacts of the local food movement at that time – nationally, across the state, and in the regional area. This report was reviewed by local government leaders from the surrounding towns and counties and served as a seed for further economic development studies regarding our region’s agricultural economy.
We used the white paper as a springboard to begin our initial local food forums in November 2011. Our initial meeting had three local residents present and from there our monthly gatherings grew month by month (with an average of 20 to 30 adults each event, even now).
These monthly community meals and our other events, are focused on eating together, open discussion, skill-sharing, networking, education, inspiration, and community building. The grassroots community spirit of Land & Table is an essential part of our history and will continue to be our guiding influence.
In late 2022 the work began to establish Land & Table officially as a non-profit to accelerate our mission. Join us in creating a resilient local food system in the Lynchburg, Virginia region that will continue to thrive for generations to come.
Our other current efforts include:
- Developing the Lynchburg region’s first food guide: Local Food Lynchburg.
- Monthly L&T Book Club, in partnership with the Bedford County Library System.
- more to come!
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Media
Learn more about us in:
- The Power of Potlucks (article in Lynchburg Living magazine) (March / April 2023)
- Good Soil Podcast: Building Community Through Food (March 2022)
- News and Advance: ‘For Love of Nature: Healthy soil for a healthy planet’ (August 2016)
- News and Advance (Food Hub Study story) (2015)
- Lynchburg Living magazine
- News and Advance (front page)
- The Roanoke Times
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