modeling the food system
of the future
The Land
Couched in between the wet lands of the Chickahominy and the rolling fields of ancient, fertile lands now known as Hanover County. A flat plateau of suprising sandy soil, tucked inside a forest of old growth oak, beech and hickory. Cultivation as a farm began for RealRoots around 2020, and has evolved into a community space, a composting hub and local farm producing crops and hosting research.
Foxes, groundhogs, red-tailed hawks, snapping turtles, copperhead snakes…and of course, deer…patrol the grounds, making regular appearances. The Chickahominy River has its head not more than a mile away. The stars are bright at night, and a creek wraps around the land from the East. We are fortunate to be here, and we never forget it.
THE FARMER
Mark Davis
I’m originally from Fredericksburg, VA, a small independent city of 25,000 in Central VA. As a child, I always had an interest in plants…it usually took the form of me making “potions” out of different plants I would pick and smash up in my mom’s old tupperware. As I got older, I developed a passion for science and language, particularly chemistry and Latin, and I’ve carried that with me my entire life. After graduating high school, I attended Howard University in Washington D.C for 3 years, studying Linguistics, Ancient Languages, and Philosophy. Although I did not graduate, I left with an intellectual perspective that I will always be grateful for…a newfound understanding of my roots as a black man in America, and a mental arsenal of philosophical teachings ranging from Seneca to Garvey.
Needless to say, there weren’t too many people hiring in the field of Ancient Latin, so I spent a few years writing and performing music and working in the food service industry until I decided to embrace the curious duality of life and move to the former capital of the Confederacy… Richmond, Virginia. In 2017 I formalized some of my knowledge of agriculture and gardening through the Tricycle Urban Agriculture Certification program here in Richmond and first conceptualized my lifelong quest towards business ownership and self-reliance.
During a brief stint in Philadelphia, I participated in the Penn State Extension Master Gardener program and informally started RealRoots as a community garden next door to my apartment and a mobile garden maintenance service. It didn’t take long to miss Richmond…I moved back within a year and a half. I formally organized and licensed RealRoots Food Systems LLC and began the work that I hope to continue for the rest of my life.