Raleigh City Farm Celebrates its 15th Anniversary with a Recommitment to Community Engagement
Raleigh City Farm (RCF), a nonprofit urban farm founded in downtown Raleigh in 2011, is proud to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2026. What began on a formerly vacant lot as a vision to bring farming into the heart of the city has grown into a vibrant hub of local food, education, equitable access to healthy produce, and community building. In turn, its mission to connect and nourish the community through regenerative agriculture continues to grow.
Over the past decade and a half, Raleigh City Farm has advanced its original mission to “transform unexpected downtown spaces into beautiful and nourishing farmland,” led by a dedicated team and board and guided by its core values of nutrition, integrity, solidarity and resiliency. Raleigh City Farm has become a cornerstone of community-supported urban agriculture in the Triangle, deeply rooted in healthy soil and organizational culture.
“Over the past 15 years, Raleigh City Farm has grown and evolved — from a grassroots project on a vacant lot to a thriving place of nourishment, education, and community connection,” said Lisa Grele Barrie, Executive Director of Raleigh City Farm. “Our work reflects the belief that growing food grows community. We are deeply grateful to the volunteers, partners, donors, and neighbors who have helped us dig where we live and build a healthier, more equitable food system for all.”
Major themes and achievements over the last 15 years include:
Growing Healthy Food & Addressing Food Access: Through the Farmshare and Pay-What-You Can Farmstand programs, RCF has harvested and shared tens of thousands of pounds of produce with nonprofit partners and community members addressing food insecurity and access — with roughly 95% of its harvest made affordable and accessible.
Volunteer & Community Engagement: Thousands of volunteers have participated in farm workdays, tours, workshops, and events that educate residents about sustainable agriculture and build deeper connections to plants, people and the planet.
Strategic Growth & Expansion: Raleigh City Farm has expanded its footprint by adding two adjacent lots to the lease at its current location and seeding a new second location at Marsh Creek Park in partnership with the City of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department for a total of 2.7 acres under its stewardship.
Awards & Recognition: The Farm has been recognized for environmental stewardship, receiving the Raleigh Environmental Stewardship Award multiple times for leadership in sustainability, equity, and community impact.
Education & Youth Programs: RCF has engaged youth and families in hands-on learning about where food comes from and how regenerative practices support ecological and community health through a variety of programming initiatives.
Growing Future Farmers: The internship program has graduated over 50 aspiring young farmers since its inception in 2020 with many going on to successful careers in agriculture having received training in all aspects of nonprofit farm management.
As Raleigh City Farm celebrates this milestone year, it invites the public to join in continued learning, volunteering, and investing in local agriculture. With sustained community support, RCF looks forward to many more years of growing food, cultivating leaders, and nourishing the body and spirit of Raleigh.