Black Farmers Collective
Radishes, collard greens, kale, carrots, beets, tomatoes, peppers, and green onions—the list of planned crops for this year is bountiful. A few crops, including sugarcane, ground nuts, and several varieties of native African corn, will be planted for the first time this year. For the Black Farmers Collective, a large part of food sovereignty and food justice is ensuring community members have access to traditional, culturally relevant foods; being connected to the food is key.
“We’re trying to grow culturally relevant foods for our community. We’re trying to grow Zimbabwean food, food that we are used to back home so that our community can get a taste of home,” says Ken Chikonzo of Ubuntu Nerudo African Heritage, a member of the collective.
Our Community Food Sovereignty Fund supports neighbor- and community-driven approaches to food justice and food sovereignty. We fund projects with an emphasis on addressing root causes using a low-barrier, collaborative process with partners. This year, we proudly welcome a new cycle of grantees, including the Black Farmers Collective, who are building a multi-faceted Black-led food system,
and creating space for Black liberation in healing and joy.
We provided Black Farmers Collective with a $45,000 grant for an incubator program to provide professional development in farm management for the farm manager and one intern at Small Axe Farm.
Black farmers have faced centuries of systemic racism, discrimination, and land dispossession. They have historically experienced unfair treatment, threats/ violence, theft of their land, and explicit discrimination by government and business.
“Our goal is to have a fully developed incubator program where we’re not only just providing land and equipment to farmers, but also training and education as well,” said Masra Clamoungou, the farm manager at Small Axe Farm.
So, what is in store for the future?
Masra Clamoungou says, “We’re a true collective now. Our long-term goals are to get more farmers in our pipeline as well as obtain more access to land. I’d really love for us to own or own land…that just results in more stability, and honestly, there is just so much power in saying we own our own land.”
Food connects us to our culture. It serves as a bridge to the past as we connect with our ancestors and as a bridge to the future as we create sustainable food systems and empower communities. The Black Farmers Collective is doing important work, and we are proud to be their partners in food justice.
For more information on the Black Farmers Collective, visit their website: blackfarmerscollective.com