Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Back in October, we detailed how Cumberland County wants to build its economy around agriculture. Now the county will be getting some help with that from state government. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that Cumberland will get a Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund Planning Grant. Combined with money from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, the money will be used by Cumberland staff to put together a plan. 

The county received $20,000 from the AFID and $20,000 from the Tobacco Commission. The goal is to look at logistics, transportation, processing and identifying gaps of service, places where Cumberland could recruit new businesses to fill the void. Basically, what makes sense in Cumberland? Beyond farms, what about production? Marketing?

What other areas of agriculture make sense to recruit to specific areas of the county? Or possibly there are some already here. What’s the best way to help them grow and develop? And yes, as part of this project, the plan will look at alternative models to traditional grocery stores by making use of local agricultural resources. Cumberland County will contribute a $5,000 cash match toward the project. 

Fixing the Cumberland County food desert 

Part of this also involves diving into the local food economy. Cumberland County is identified as a food desert, meaning that residents have limited access to healthy food options. That’s accurate, as a foodbanks.org map shows 13%-17 of residents labeled as “food insecure.” Now, to be clear, food insecurity doesn’t mean no options exist. It does however mean there are obstacles in the way. After all, it’s hard to plan on a weekly grocery run if you have no vehicle and no one to give you a ride. At that point, you just take what you can get. It’s also harder to eat healthy when there’s no grocery store in the county. 

Residents in the center of the county have the farthest to travel, in order to get food. Most travel to Powhatan, Buckingham, Goochland, or Farmville to get groceries or they pick them up on their way home from work. Over the last couple of years, the arrival of a Dollar General Market and Pine View Bulk Foods have helped some, but there are still challenges. If you live in the Cartersville or Columbia area, for example, you wouldn’t often make the trip to Pine View, as it’s close to Farmville. 

So how do you address that? The plan calls for an evaluation of existing growers and producers in the county. What does each one produce? Are they producing the same thing? How close are they to their given market and how could value be added to each operation? 

Another part of this involves identifying grocery stores and what each one would need, in order to consider coming to Cumberland.
Companies have questions before they agree to move into an area. They look at the population size, population ages and available locations for a store. Then they determine if it makes financial sense to move in. So what would a grocery store need in order to move in and can the county help with that in any way? 

Taking the next step in the county

“Virginia’s agriculture sector is a cornerstone of our economy, driving growth, creating jobs, and supporting our rural communities,” said Youngkin. “I’m excited that Cumberland County is leveraging this critical industry to develop a strategic economic plan that will unlock new opportunities and strengthen food access, fostering long-term prosperity for the entire region.” 

The governor’s office pointed out that Cumberland has a lot of tools to attract customers and tourists alike, citing Bear Creek Lake State Park and Cumberland State Forest. 

“This is a great example of state agencies working together to support our communities and develop innovative solutions to the issues they are facing,” said Virginia Secretary of Commerce & Trade Caren Merrick. “Supporting our producers and our agricultural community is critical to the success of the Commonwealth as a whole and I look forward to seeing the results of this planning effort, including potential strategies that could be expanded to benefit additional localities in the future.”