Cascade PBS
June 10th, 2026
2 min video: Viva Farms opens doors for aspiring farmers
Article: Viva Farms opens doors for underserved and aspiring farmers
By Taylor Mirfendereski
As Pamela Ronson prepped a flower bed on a recent morning, the farmer paused to take in the land. “I love this space,” Ronson said. “It feels awesome to be here.”
Not long ago, Ronson doubted a day on a farm like this would come again.
In 2024, the city of Detroit seized Ronson’s farmland through eminent domain to make way for new development. Overnight, the flower grower behind Seedfolx Farm was left without a place to grow. “Is this the end of Seedfolx Farm?” Ronson remembered thinking. “It’s a tricky process to be able to find land, afford land… There was a sadness that I had to grieve.”
Then Ronson found a lifeline in Washington state.
Viva Farms, a nonprofit based in King and Skagit counties, offered Ronson a small plot of farmland in Woodinville at a fraction of the going rate. The plot is one of 36 farms in the organization’s business incubator program, where 57 owner-operators currently manage their own farm businesses. Farmers lease subsidized land and share the cost of equipment as they build toward independence.
"Our goal is to really break down barriers into entering agriculture — specifically for limited resources and underserved farmers," said Bonnie Feldberg, Farm and Education Manager at Viva Farms’ King County location. “It just can be a really brutal industry… We’re losing farmland, and we’re losing farmers.”
According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, Washington state has lost over half of its farms since 1940. As the average American farmer approaches retirement age, Feldberg said there’s a greater need than ever to recruit a new generation of farmers into the industry. “We want more people to have their own farms because we want more people to be part of the food system," Feldberg said.
Before entering the Viva Farms business incubator, many farmers complete the nonprofit's eight-month, hands-on training course. Over one full growing season, students learn everything from planting and harvesting to running a small business.
Viva Farms runs the course at two locations — Woodinville and Burlington, where classes are also offered in Spanish for Latino farmworkers looking to go from working someone else's land to becoming a farm owner. Since 2023, 80 students have graduated from the class, according to Viva Farms.
Not everyone who arrives at Viva Farms comes from an agricultural background. Aashay Savla spent 15 years in finance before enrolling in Viva's training course with no farming experience. Six years later, Savla runs Aash Farms full time on a half-acre plot at the organization's Woodinville property. The no-till regenerative operation grows vegetables, herbs and microgreens for restaurants, farmers markets and food banks across King County.
“I owe every part of my farming journey to Viva Farms. Period. There is no way this would have happened as fast and as effectively as it has,” Savla said.
For Ronson, the Viva Farms incubator is more than a place to grow flowers. It's a stepping stone to something bigger. “I hope to continue here for the next few years — growing and scaling, building a customer base, knowing that my land is secured and being able to save enough to have a deposit for a farm of my own one day,” Ronson said.
By Taylor Mirfendereski
As Pamela Ronson prepped a flower bed on a recent morning, the farmer paused to take in the land. “I love this space,” Ronson said. “It feels awesome to be here.”
Not long ago, Ronson doubted a day on a farm like this would come again.
In 2024, the city of Detroit seized Ronson’s farmland through eminent domain to make way for new development. Overnight, the flower grower behind Seedfolx Farm was left without a place to grow. “Is this the end of Seedfolx Farm?” Ronson remembered thinking. “It’s a tricky process to be able to find land, afford land… There was a sadness that I had to grieve.”
Then Ronson found a lifeline in Washington state.
Viva Farms, a nonprofit based in King and Skagit counties, offered Ronson a small plot of farmland in Woodinville at a fraction of the going rate. The plot is one of 36 farms in the organization’s business incubator program, where 57 owner-operators currently manage their own farm businesses. Farmers lease subsidized land and share the cost of equipment as they build toward independence.
"Our goal is to really break down barriers into entering agriculture — specifically for limited resources and underserved farmers," said Bonnie Feldberg, Farm and Education Manager at Viva Farms’ King County location. “It just can be a really brutal industry… We’re losing farmland, and we’re losing farmers.”
According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, Washington state has lost over half of its farms since 1940. As the average American farmer approaches retirement age, Feldberg said there’s a greater need than ever to recruit a new generation of farmers into the industry. “We want more people to have their own farms because we want more people to be part of the food system," Feldberg said.
Before entering the Viva Farms business incubator, many farmers complete the nonprofit's eight-month, hands-on training course. Over one full growing season, students learn everything from planting and harvesting to running a small business.
Viva Farms runs the course at two locations — Woodinville and Burlington, where classes are also offered in Spanish for Latino farmworkers looking to go from working someone else's land to becoming a farm owner. Since 2023, 80 students have graduated from the class, according to Viva Farms.
Not everyone who arrives at Viva Farms comes from an agricultural background. Aashay Savla spent 15 years in finance before enrolling in Viva's training course with no farming experience. Six years later, Savla runs Aash Farms full time on a half-acre plot at the organization's Woodinville property. The no-till regenerative operation grows vegetables, herbs and microgreens for restaurants, farmers markets and food banks across King County.
“I owe every part of my farming journey to Viva Farms. Period. There is no way this would have happened as fast and as effectively as it has,” Savla said.
For Ronson, the Viva Farms incubator is more than a place to grow flowers. It's a stepping stone to something bigger. “I hope to continue here for the next few years — growing and scaling, building a customer base, knowing that my land is secured and being able to save enough to have a deposit for a farm of my own one day,” Ronson said.
