The Growing Story of VIGA

 The Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) began in the 1980s with a desire to create on-island jobs in farming. What started as a small Farmer’s Market near the Post Office has grown into a multi-faceted organization that supports the full spectrum of island agriculture.

Grow

Viga supports island farmers with its Farming in Community program, a network for education and collaboration. Get Growing is tailored to home and backyard gardeners, whose goals are to feed their families and share the abundance with neighbors. In addition, volunteers have helped the Vashon High School develop a horticulture program focusing on raising fruits and vegetables organically. VIGA also hosts workshops and supports cooperative initiatives to share emerging and traditional knowledge and techniques.

Preserve

VIGA is developing systems to preserve the island’s abundance and create year-round access to a community larder. VIGA was able to secure grant funding in 2021 and named the program the Food Preservation Initiative. We collect, preserve, and store donated island produce that will be available through various avenues for community use.

Share

VIGA provides the infrastructure to get food to every islander. There are three primary means for this

1. VIGA produces and updates a weekly Farm Stand Map. The growers report their availability weekly and VIGA updates the information for easy dissemination through the community. We make this available online, in our weekly newsletter and with a physical copy of the farm stand map through the growing season.