Sustainability Hub at Free Union Farm | Rural Beacon Initiative

Deployed Projects:

RBI’s Sustainability Hub at Free Union Farm

Multi-year, multi-tier sustainability project with opportunity to preserve a historic site and address black family land loss in rural eastern North Carolina.

Our Vision

RBI’s Sustainability Hub at Free Union Farm is a 52-acre parcel of land in a historic freedmen’s community in an economically distressed region of eastern North Carolina.

Under the management of Rural Beacon Initiative, it will become a multi-phase, multi-enterprise sustainability hub for renewable energy, regenerative agricultural practices, and regional food access.

With the help of our partners, Rural Beacon Initiative is implementing a long-term strategy of converting the farm site into a demonstrative immersion and educational sustainability hub. The site is designed to be a physical demonstration of the types of innovative projects that energy investments can catalyze in rural communities and utilizes a unique mix of conservation finance, sustainable rural development, and resilient community-based solutions to the climate crisis.

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Good for the people. Good for the planet.

How Our Sustainability Hub Makes a Difference

Scaling BIPOC Ownership

Creates a replicable model of economic development that centers rural, BIPOC ownership in the emerging clean economy.

Supporting Food Security

Supports a regenerative food network that shortens food supply chains, advances BIPOC ownership, and increases food security for generations of BIPOC land owners.

Reimagining a Sustainable Supply Chain

Demonstrating a new model of agriculture centered around zero-harm, net-beneficial practices for public health, sustainability, and revenue.

Site-based systems

Innovative Solutions for Modern Challenges

Native Nursery

The native nursery seeks to address the shortage of trees needed for large-scale conservation plantings. In partnership with the Croatan Institute, the initiative supports landowners in establishing small nurseries to supply regional demand, generate income, and strengthen the state’s native plant network. This collaborative approach bridges the gap between growers and buyers, fostering sustainable forestry practices.

Regenerative Agriculture

By prioritizing cover cropping and sustainable land management, we are able to restore fields degraded by conventional farming. In collaboration with the Croatan Institute, the farm is building soil health by exploring organic production practices. This regenerative approach prioritizes local stewardship and long-term agricultural resilience in Martin County.

Agrovoltaic Design

With the support of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), we have integrated Agrovoltaic design. Agrovoltaics—combining solar energy production with agriculture—works in tandem with a community microgrid, utility-scale solar, and on-site battery storage. This multi-faceted approach advances renewable energy while supporting sustainable farming in Martin County.

Forestry

Over the next two years, the land will be replanted with native species to support silvopasture, agroforestry, and ecosystem services. This approach enhances biodiversity and promotes sustainable land use. A forestry contractor will mulch most of the 26-acre forest site while preserving native trees over 8 inches in diameter.

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Our Partners

Slow Money NC

From 2010 to mid-2022 Slow Money NC catalyzed the flow of affordable capital to sustainable small food enterprises, connecting neighbors and friends ~ ordinary people who care ~ to their local farmers and local food businesses to “bring our money back down to earth.”

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Croatan Institute

Croatan Institute is an independent, nonprofit research and action institute whose mission is to build social equity and ecological resilience by leveraging finance to create pathways to a just economy.

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Foodshed Capital

We exist to build more equitable, regenerative foodsheds. We prioritize borrowers who may have difficulty accessing capital through traditional lenders, particularly low-income, BIPOC, female, immigrant, LGBTQ, or indigenous individuals. We equally prioritize borrowers who use regenerative practices, foster soil health and biodiversity, and produce nutrient-dense, culturally appropriate food for their foodsheds.

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EVOKE Architecture Studio

EVOKE Studio Architecture is a Durham, NC-based design practice specializing in architecture, design-visioning and master planning. Our neighborhoods and cities are comprised of the infinite stories and histories of humankind collaged on the spectrum from chaos to calm. Architecture—the tactile manifestation of narratives—serves as a powerful amplifier of societal priorities, beliefs and aspirations by preserving the past, reiterating the present and signifying the future.

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Latest News

Rural Beacon Initiative Enters $1 Million Cooperative Agreement with USDA-NRCS to Advance Sustainability Hub at Free Union Farm

October 31, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Durham, North Carolina, November 1, 2024 — Rural Beacon Initiative (RBI) is…

Rebuilding the Homestead

October 22, 2022

This article explores the story of Black landowners in Piney Woods, N.C., who are reclaiming…

group of people standing together and smiling

Croatan Institute Joins the Rural Beacon Initiative for the Groundbreaking of Vera Brown Farm

May 23, 2022

On May 21st, Croatan Institute joined the Rural Beacon Initiative (RBI) for the groundbreaking of…

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