A Producer with Purpose in a Place with Purpose
It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2026 Royce Hanson - Agricultural Reserve Champion Award recipient: Nia Nyamweya of Beauty Blooms Farm. We first met Nia through her participation in MCA's Land Link program. Paired in 2022 with small acreage in Barnesville, Nia grew African heritage heirloom crops, vegetables, and flowers. In her first year alone she supplied over 1000 pounds of produce to Montgomery County's Farm-to-Food-Bank program. She has since expanded production to 10 acres on occupied Piscataway territory in Patuxent River State Park and additionally has acquired her own land in Montgomery County that she is endeavoring to farm. The majority of her farm’s harvest supports local residents experiencing food insecurity. And Nia is giving voice to the challenges to the diverse next generation producers.
Nia shares:
“I believe all people have a right to delicious, nutritious and culturally important food that’s affordable and grown locally.“
It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2026 Royce Hanson - Agricultural Reserve Champion Award recipient: Nia Nyamweya of Beauty Blooms Farm. We first met Nia through her participation in MCA's Land Link program. Paired in 2022 with small acreage in Barnesville, Nia grew African heritage heirloom crops, vegetables, and flowers. In her first year alone she supplied over 1000 pounds of produce to Montgomery County's Farm-to-Food-Bank program. She has since expanded production to 10 acres on occupied Piscataway territory in Patuxent River State Park and additionally has acquired her own land in Montgomery County that she is endeavoring to farm. The majority of her farm’s harvest supports local residents experiencing food insecurity. And Nia is giving voice to the challenges to the diverse next generation producers.
Nia shares:
“I believe all people have a right to delicious, nutritious and culturally important food that’s affordable and grown locally.“
From the Beauty Blooms Site:
"Nia Nyamweya is the founder and owner-operator of Beauty Blooms Farm, a low-till, small-scale, regenerative vegetable farm in Damascus, MD. She loves to celebrate cultural heritage through food by growing and sharing African heritage crops with the local community. Nia's dad and partner help her manage the farm. Nia is the first small-scale regenerative vegetable farmer to secure a 10-year lease from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Her work helped establish the Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) Program within the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act."
Press:
Land Link Gets Its Close Up
Beauty Blooms Video (Montgomery County)
"Nia Nyamweya is the founder and owner-operator of Beauty Blooms Farm, a low-till, small-scale, regenerative vegetable farm in Damascus, MD. She loves to celebrate cultural heritage through food by growing and sharing African heritage crops with the local community. Nia's dad and partner help her manage the farm. Nia is the first small-scale regenerative vegetable farmer to secure a 10-year lease from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Her work helped establish the Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) Program within the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act."
Press:
Land Link Gets Its Close Up
Beauty Blooms Video (Montgomery County)
