What’s Good in the Neighborhood | Listen

These Southern agrihoods provide residential connections to the land

Imagine waking up and making an omelet from eggs you grabbed from the chicken co-op in your neighborhood. Then, you bike with the kids to school, pausing to admire a new baby cow in the pasture. You chat with neighbors who have similar values and interests, and then make your way to work with a lunch packed with freshly picked vegetables in your bag. That morning scenario may sound like an agrarian remake of the movie Pleasantville, but that’s life in an agrihood.

Everyone defines it a little differently, but an agrihood is an intentional community usually planned around a farm, connecting its residents to the land in a way that goes beyond farm-to-table dining. The real estate developers behind these communities are showing bankers that people want different amenities in their communities, picking a farm stand over a swimming pool. There are more than 200 agrihoods in the US, many of which are in the Southeast, thanks to the region’s fertile farmland. Some are in more rural areas, others are blocks from the bustle of a city. Take a look at three Southern agrihoods and what makes each of them unique.

Kiawah River Farm | Johns Island, South Carolina

There are approximately 200 families who live at Kiawah River Farm in rural South Carolina. They enjoy two miles of riverfront and proximity to the ocean, plus they’re just 20 minutes from the city charms of Charleston. Jeff Snyder, chief environmental officer at Kiawah River Farm, sees growing interest in the agrihood, which will expand to 1,200 residents plus a hotel, allowing folks to experience the land on a short-term basis.

In addition to offering produce and dairy products from seven different farmers and honey from “a couple million” bees, Kiawah River Farm provides residents other ways to connect with the flora and fauna, such as goat yoga classes and bird watching. Snyder wants people to understand that the farm “is not a photo op. This is a working farm and there are hands-on opportunities to help take care of it.”

“An agrihood is not for everyone,” adds Chris Drury, broker-in-charge at Kiawah River Farm. “Some people want a luxurious golf course and want to go golf and then go to the clubhouse and have a bourbon. We are not that. Our folks will go to the farm and go fishing, and then go home and have a bourbon.”

Red Barn Farm | Bentonville, Arkansas

“There’s no blueprint for agrihoods,” says Dominic Silva, the farm manager for Red Barn Farm. “While that can be daunting, it’s also an opportunity. I don’t imagine that any two agrihoods will be alike,” he adds, as a chorus of birds interrupts him. Red Barn is located in Bentonville, Arkansas, just four minutes from the town square, surrounded by mountain bike trails. The Red Barn community features condos and apartments for rent as well as townhouses for sale, welcoming a large cross-section of residents to the neighborhood.

Silva is listening to residents about what they want from their land as he decides what to plant. Okra and blueberries were popular last year, but Roma tomatoes didn’t sell well, so he doesn’t expect to add them to the crops this year. In addition to helping residents connect to the land, Silva thinks the agrihood may attract younger people to farming as a profession. He offers urban farmer workshops to encourage residents to get their hands dirty (although he emphasizes that Red Barn Farm is not a commune, and residents are not required to spend any time at all in the fields). He operates the farm year-round so that staff can be employed and salaried year-round, rather than only during planting and harvest seasons.

Splinter Creek | Taylor, Mississippi

Outside of Oxford, Mississippi, home to the University of Mississippi, the 650-acre Splinter Creek is a lakeside community with an emphasis on placemaking, “letting the land be the star of the show,” when it comes to architecture and design, says founder Ellen Leake. Homes are designed so that you see the northern Mississippi countryside out the window, not someone else’s house, yet are close enough to one another that kids can run out the door and play with the neighbors. Green space is intentionally open for stargazing and other activities, as well as supporting the 350 species of wildlife living on the land.

Splinter Creek doesn’t have a farm on-site but instead develops partnerships so that residents can connect with existing farms nearby, including the Yokna Bottoms Farms CSA and Home Place Pastures, a cattle farm with an emphasis on regenerative agriculture. “We attract people who want a different lifestyle,” adds Elizabeth Keckler, director of sales. “[People] who want to be surrounded by nature and connected to people and land.”

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