Who Is Viva Farms?
Viva Farms is a nonprofit farm business incubator and training program established in 2009, operating locations in Skagit County and King County, Washington. Skagit volunteer center. Their mission is straightforward and urgent: lower the barriers for the next generation of farmers before it's too late.
Viva empowers aspiring and limited-resource farmers by providing bilingual training in holistic and organic farming practices, and access to land, infrastructure, equipment, marketing, and capital. To date, Viva has educated over 700 small farmers — more than 150 of them Spanish speakers — in sustainable organic farming, and is currently incubating 24 independent farm businesses, seven of which are Latino-owned.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Western Washington is facing a generational crisis in farming. Farmers with an average age of 58 are retiring, and the number of farms, produce processing facilities, and acreage of farmland are all decreasing. In the next 20 years, 70% of all Washington State farmers are expected to retire. Skagit Valley alone has lost 38% of its farmland since 1940 — shrinking from 150,000 acres to 93,000 acres today.
Viva Farms is one of the most important organizations working to reverse that trajectory.
The MiiR Connection: Rooted in Skagit Valley
In 2018, MiiR issued its first grant to Viva Farms — $35,000 directed toward creating water access for 45 acres of land at the AgPark in Skagit County. That investment unlocked the capacity for up to eight farm businesses per year to work newly accessible farmland for 25+ years.
What started as a single grant has grown into one of MiiR's longest and most meaningful nonprofit partnerships.
MiiR has given $193,750 to Viva Farms since 2018, across grants, employee giving, and event sponsorships.
This is what long-term commitment to a nonprofit partner looks like. Not a one-time check but a relationship built over years, with multi-year unrestricted funding that lets Viva focus on their mission rather than chasing the next grant cycle.
Why Sustainable Agriculture Is an Earth Month Issue
Earth Month is a moment to zoom out and ask: what does a healthy planet actually require? The answer isn't just clean air and clean water — it's healthy soil, local food systems, and the farmers who tend them.
By cultivating the next generation of Skagit Valley farmers, Viva Farms is helping preserve farmland and promote sustainable practices, reducing CO2 emissions and building healthier, carbon-rich soils every day. By selling and promoting locally grown produce, Viva Farms is actively contributing to the reduction of emissions and packaging waste.
When MiiR customers register their Give Code™, they're part of funding exactly this kind of work — the kind that connects people to land, land to food, and food to community.
People and Planet: Two Things That Can't Be Separated
MiiR's giving philosophy has always been that people and the planet are not competing priorities. They're the same priority. Viva Farms embodies that belief.
When a first-generation farmer gains access to land, equipment, and training they couldn't afford alone, they don't just feed their family — they feed ours. They preserve farmland that would otherwise disappear. They grow organic produce that builds healthier soil. They keep a food system local that would otherwise consolidate and industrialize.
Your MiiR purchase supports that chain of impact. Every Give Code™ registered is a thread in a larger story — one that runs from your kitchen to a field in Skagit Valley.
Want to go deeper? Read the 2024 MiiR Impact Report or learn more about Viva Farms and their work in King and Skagit County, WA.
This blog was updated in April 2026 to reflect MiiR's current giving to Viva Farms and expanded partnership details. Original post: 2019.
