The AMI Story

A focused, close-up view of lettuce growing in the foreground with someone tending to the garden bed in the background.

AMI joins a long legacy of small-scale Appalachian mountain farms and agro-ecological entanglement. The Village is an extension of over forty years of creative education programs on the land, going back to the Bear Mountain Outdoor School from the early 80’s. The Berman-Brody family had been living and working here for 40 years when Laurie Berman decided to start the Allegheny Mountain School in 2011, working within The Highland Center in Monterey, Virginia. AMS recognized the need to support Appalachian communities in strengthening their self-reliant agrarian and ecological roots. These roots include growing food, tending the forests, and working to foster individual, community, and ecosystem health.

In 2014, AMS established itself as a 501c3 non-profit and was renamed Allegheny Mountain Institute (AMI).

AMI's core program from 2011 until 2023 was the Food Fellowship program. Each year a cohort of 6-9 Fellows was recruited for an 18-month immersive, educational experience, receiving hands-on, farm-based training using bio-intensive, organic, and regenerative practices. In the following year, they put their training into action by working to grow the local food system, support sustainable farming, increase access to nutritious foods, and promote health through educational programming. In addition to this cornerstone program, AMI supported the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to develop and operate what was then the largest Farm to School program in the state, supported Waynesboro City Schools in Waynesboro, VA in the development of a farm-to-school partnership, and created a farm-hospital program with Augusta Health in Fishersville, VA.

Through the Fellowship, AMI graduated over 80 Fellows, many of whom have gone on to serve in professional roles in education, agriculture, and community development. The vision has evolved but remains committed to healthy foodways, thriving ecology, and self-reliance within community.

The upper campus consists of guest cabins, common spaces, a wood-fired sauna, and a large Lodge. It has been known as The Village for AMI programs over the years. So, in 2025 AMI decided to delve deeper into what a healthy modern village can look like. The Village, in addition to being the physical space, is now a collection of education, retreat, and event programming, where we craft experiences and workshops focused on wildcrafting, nature connection, Appalachian culture, regenerative agriculture, and agro-ecology, among many others.