Vanessa started growing veggies and raising chickens in the backyards of her parents’ dormitories, school teacher and nurse respectively, where she was brought up as a little kid in China. She continued her career in the food and health industry. She is very passionate about healthy eating and organic gardening, especially after years of experience in the natural food industry. Her recent vegetable CSA journey started in 2016 by growing for Changing Children's World Foundation (CCWF).

It was a rainy day when she first visited the Farley Center for a farm tour during the 2017 Food Fest. She was impressed to see such a diverse and alive farming community in the peaceful valley. She is so grateful and happy that she is now part of this big organic farm family, home to her business Alive Valley, LLC. Vanessa aspires to be a caretaker of Mother Earth and producer of nutrition and organic veggies for families in the community.

Alive Valley grows heirloom and organic produce for the Farmers’ Market to support the local food systems that nurture and enrich our communities. At the same time, Alive Valley will also save seeds in order to protect biodiversity for generations to come.