Rooted in Raleigh

Raleigh City Farm is a nonprofit urban farm founded in 2011 on a formerly vacant one-acre lot in downtown Raleigh. We believe in the power of urban farms to create healthier communities and reconnect city dwellers with healthy food production through more frequent encounters with agriculture.

We believe that turning vacant lots into productive, nourishing farmland can create something from nothing – an amenity from an eyesore.

We invite our community to “dig in” and advance our mission by signing up for a workshop, taking a tour, attending a special event, and volunteering to help maintain our farm site.

View our 2023-2025 Strategic Plan

Quick Links:

Mission, Vision, Values • Our Team • Board of Directors • Advisory Council • Our Roots

Our Mission

To connect and nourish our community through regenerative agriculture

Our Vision

A healthy community supporting the next generation of farmers

Our Values

We are committed to the following NICE Core Values that guide the culture of RCF:

Nutrition - Championing the importance of growing accessible and affordable local food.
Innovation - Cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit and sustainable practices of farmers to protect and steward the land.
Collaboration - Building partnerships that increase our mission impact and strengthen bonds of community and trust.
Equity - Addressing the deep roots of racial and gender inequities and injustice through promoting and supporting economic equity for farmers in NC.

Our Commitments

Raleigh City Farm was founded as a place where all members of our diverse community could learn about farming.

We believe in growing the next generation of farmers by connecting our community to sustainable agriculture. By this, we mean our entire community. We recognize the transformative power of cultivating the soil to promote the health and well-being of both the individual and our community. And we believe in building our community from the ground up.

We commit to do our part to listen, learn, and be a part of the solution.

We commit to warmly welcoming all to the Farm.

We commit to being inclusive of everyone in the Triangle community and beyond.

We commit to stewarding the site through sustainable, regenerative means.

We commit to providing healthy food to our community and our non-profit partners who are addressing food access and insecurity.

We commit to providing a beautiful space for gathering, sharing, and learning.

And we commit to cultivating each other as we seek to build a more equitable and just future for all.

To learn more about how you can support greater diversity and equity in farm ownership, check out these organizations:

Food Literacy Center

National Black Farmers Association

Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners

Our Team

Lisa Grele Barrie, Executive Director

Lisa began digging in as a volunteer since the Farm’s inception, and is passionate about sustaining this very special urban green space around the corner from her home. Her skills as a nonprofit administrator were honed at NC Theatre where she served as the CEO for over eight years. She sees a direct link between the importance of “art and ag” – two key ingredients that contribute to an enhanced quality of life for our community.

Her love of gardening was handed down by her father and she takes great pleasure in cultivating all manner of plants inside and out. She is the creator of “Wine + Weeds,” Raleigh City Farm’s weekly volunteer event that keeps the Farm looking good while growing meaningful community connections. Lisa has a deep belief in the transformative power of cultivating the soil and how it contributes to our personal and collective well-being.

Maria Williford, Farm Manager

Maria joined our team in 2021 and brings joy and passion to our nonprofit urban farm. As she digs into the farm manager role, she’ll be drawing from her deep-rooted experiences in social entrepreneurship, design/build, and permaculture.

She believes our community’s biggest resource in times of crisis are our neighbors. Maria has dedicated her career to growing businesses that empower people and protect their access to our most vital resources: clean water, land, food, and air.

She is excited to use her landscape, natural building, and management experiences to help grow the mission of Raleigh City Farm. Maria believes the farm is a place where the transformative power of being connected to the soil can be seeded and flourish — one person and one plant at a time.

Colleen Yeager, Assistant Farm Manager

Colleen is a sustainable-minded farmer who gets excited about taking care of and coexisting with the basic ingredients that our community needs to survive: plants, soil, water and insects. She finds solace in growing food using regenerative practices that are good for the earth and for her people. As a mother, wife, and daughter, she is a tireless advocate for working together to restore nature’s balance.

Shy Palmer, Community Engagement Consultant

Shy Palmer, a proud Raleigh native deeply connected to her community, is a dedicated advocate for unity and empowerment. With a fervent passion for teaching and agricultural training, Shy has become a formidable urban farmer over the past five years, fostering self-sufficiency and resilience.

Beyond the garden, Shy is a champion of community organizing, empowering marginalized communities to advocate for positive change. Specializing in community garden management, she creates thriving green spaces that unite people, nourish souls, and promote sustainable living.

Committed to nonprofit work, Shy leverages her talents to address pressing community issues, raising awareness, mobilizing resources, and driving meaningful change. In Shy Palmer, we find a tireless advocate, dedicated educator, and passionate urban farmer, exemplifying the enduring impact of individuals championing causes they hold dear.

Board of Directors

Christy MortonBurt's BeesI am excited to serve on the board of RCF because I am passionate about the mission of growing the next generation of farmers. My husband and I grew up in farming families in Eastern NC so it is very important to us that thi… — **Christy Morton, Co-Chair**
Burt's Bees
I am excited to serve on the board of RCF because I am passionate about the mission of growing the next generation of farmers. My husband and I grew up in farming families in Eastern NC so it is very important to us that this legacy continue. In addition, the goals of sustainability with a focus on nature have a nice synergy with the goals of my company, Burt’s Bees.

Michael ScottThe Clorox Company “When the going gets tough, the tough get growing…” is a saying I heard during some of the darkest times of 2020, which could not be more synonymous with Raleigh City Farm’s mission. Personally, serving on the board h… — **Michael Scott, Co-Chair**
The Clorox Company
“When the going gets tough, the tough get growing…” is a saying I heard during some of the darkest times of 2020, which could not be more synonymous with Raleigh City Farm’s mission. Personally, serving on the board helps me to connect with very fond memories of gardening with my family.

**Amanda Frystock Ronan, Secretary**
Research Triangle Foundation
I am excited to join Raleigh City Farm and support the mission through community building and strengthening partnerships. I come from a family of “aggies” and while I did not inherit any sort of green thumb, I feel fortunate to able to contribute to the agriculture community through serving on the Board.

**Bryan Vodicka, Treasurer**
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Raleigh City Farm brings together both areas of my family background - my roots in rural North Carolina, where growing your own food has been a core part of life, and my life as a Raleigh native, as part of a rapidly growing and changing urban center - and allows me to channel this background and these passions into benefits for my immediate local community.

Lynda ChambersChambers Life!Raleigh City Farm is a vision come true. Working close to the earth sustains our health and our communities. Reaching so many through mentoring, teaching, sharing and celebrating, RCF is not only growing but inspiring. Th… — **Lynda Chambers**
Chambers Life!
Raleigh City Farm is a vision come true. Working close to the earth sustains our health and our communities. Reaching so many through mentoring, teaching, sharing and celebrating, RCF is not only growing but inspiring. There's nothing quite like digging in the earth.

Melissa Creamer, Co-ChairBlue Cross and Blue Shield of North CarolinaRaleigh City Farm allows me to connect my interests in farming and wellness with my passion for perpetual learning. I am happy to be able to serve the nonprofit and its mission. — **Melissa Creamer**
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
*Raleigh City Farm allows me to connect my interests in farming and wellness with my passion for perpetual learning. I am happy to be able to serve the nonprofit and its mission.*

**Mike Frongello**
Wyrick Robbins
As a Raleigh native and downtown Raleigh resident, Raleigh City Farm’s mission is incredibly important to me and the opportunity to serve through this organization is particularly exciting. Raleigh has experienced tremendous growth over the last decade and it has been amazing to observe the Farm’s reach and impact grow along with our City. Raleigh City Farm has become a pillar of our community, and the organization’s mission, vision and values encompass many of my own personal passions, including building healthy communities, addressing food insecurity, and furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am excited to dig in and help the Farm continue to lay down important roots and serve as a point of connection in our community.

Ivan Hovis-GobernIvan HG RealtyThere is something very special about this space where education meets curiosity, where nature dances with opportunity, where passion is the foundation of creativity and where Wellness and Relationship reign. Talent sh… — **Ivan Hovis Gobern**
Ivan HG Realty
There is something very special about this space where education meets curiosity, where nature dances with opportunity, where passion is the foundation of creativity and where Wellness and Relationship reign. Talent shared, community connected, partnerships formed, urban farmers born, children, seniors and college students dig in and city gardeners like me… show up excited and leave inspired. Come Join Us on the Farm… downtown!

Caitlin KitchenPricewaterhouseCoopersI have seen the tremendous value a community farm can bring to an urban landscape. As modern humans, so many of us are lacking a connection with the earth and especially the food we consume. The importance of far… — **Caitlin Kitchen**
PricewaterhouseCoopers
I have seen the tremendous value a community farm can bring to an urban landscape. As modern humans, so many of us are lacking a connection with the earth and especially the food we consume. The importance of farming and agriculture is paramount in this current climate. We owe it to each other to bring a passion for sustainable practices and farming to the community.

Tiffany Lopez, SecretarySmith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLPThe farm is important to me because it acts as a connection source to so many critical things – community, food, plants, growth, and dirt. I’m a firm believer in g… — **Tiffany Lopez**
Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP
The farm is important to me because it acts as a connection source to so many critical things – community, food, plants, growth, and dirt. I’m a firm believer in getting your hands dirty as often as possible and am grateful for the opportunities RCF provides for me to do so.

Jamie Ousterout, Co-ChairThe Diversity Movement & StabilimentaFor me, Raleigh City Farm is synonymous with “community”—the Farm provides a productive and beautiful space for entrepreneurial farmers and community members alike to grow, share, and… — **Jamie Ousterout**
The Diversity Movement & Stabilimenta
For me, Raleigh City Farm is synonymous with “community”—the Farm provides a productive and beautiful space for entrepreneurial farmers and community members alike to grow, share, and connect. I am honored to support the Farm as a board member and volunteer.

**Ruhi Pitre**
SAS
Raleigh City Farm is such an exciting place to be: I've gotten to learn so much about regenerative agriculture while also getting to connect with my community. I look forward to continue learning and working towards our mission.

**Parth Rampal**
Databricks
I believe connecting with the ground, the food we eat and the community we live in is very important. RCF has allowed me to become a member of the community, feel connected to Raleigh and learn about regenerative agriculture. I hope to continue meeting amazing people and helping educate our community about regenerative agriculture and the work we do at RCF.

**Anna Zimmerman**
With family in agriculture and my own background in environmental studies, discovering Raleigh City Farm after I moved to the area was one of my first, memorable senses of familiarity in this new hometown. Now, as a board member, I am eager to uphold the farm's mission and ensure that urban, regenerative agriculture is available to others seeking community and connection to the land.

Joining the Board of Directors

Interested in exploring whether a board seat is right for you? Or do you want to dig in by volunteering on a committee such as Event Planning or Marketing & Communications? Learn more and apply online here.

Advisory Council

Dan Aiello
PwC

Kamal Bell
Sankofa Farms

Meg McKinnon Bullard
Meg Bullard Realty

Coleman Bumgardner
PwC

Norma Burns
Bluebird Hill Farm

Basil Camu
Leaf & Limb

LeAnna Cargman
Nomadic Roots Herbals

Carly Demler

Howard Fleming

Nation Hahn
EducationNC

Kate Kimball
BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina

Miranda Miller
Smith Anderson

Ryan McGuire
Executive Mansion NC

Preston Montague
Artist, Landscape Designer

Julie Moore
NC Composting Council

Caroline Morrison
Fiction Kitchen

Meryl Murtagh
Wyrick Robbins

Al Newsom
Good Dirt

Tara Zechini Owens
Goodness

Laurel Varnado Passera
EQ Research

Sam Ratto
Videri Chocolate Factory

Anna Regensberger
The Meadows

Michael Roberts
Office of the State Auditor

Matt Spitzer
Triangle Hemp

Katie Steindl

Darian Walker
Bodhi Land & Design

Chase Werner
Triangle Hemp

Jake Wolf
Capital Club 16

Helen Yoest
Bee Better

Larry Zucchino
JDavis Architects

Our Roots

Raleigh City Farm began as a vision between two friends: "A place where anyone could learn about farming." Neighbors and community members gathered around the original visionaries and brought the dream to life.

The Raleigh community raised $25,000 on Kickstarter, rows were planted in Spring 2012, and many farmers have cared for the land in the years that followed. Read more about our history, and meet the farmers who have kept our one acre plot thriving.

Read Our History