By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black
Around the United States, hundreds of Black farmers have risen to the forefront of the food justice movement. Many harvest crops in areas categorized by the federal government as “food deserts” — communities that lack access to fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables.
Living in a “food desert” is a reality for 1 in 5 Black Americans. Oftentimes, there are few healthy food outlets in the area, such as grocery stores and farmers markets. Meanwhile, fast food chains and convenience stores are oversaturated.
Inadequate access to nutritional food raises the risk for obesity, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and other conditions. That’s why Black farmers are buying land in underserved communities and sharing the harvest with residents. Here are three urban farmers plotting food justice in their cities:
Ivy Lawrence-Walls (Houston, Texas)
In August 2020, Ivy Lawerence-Walls started Ivy Leaf Farms in Houston’s Sunnyside neighborhood, a historically Black community designated as a food desert during the launch. She repurposed her family’s 5-acre plot into a community farm and vegetable garden. The farm grows and delivers okra, broccoli, carrots, collards, and other produce to local residents within specific zip codes.
Beyond the farm, Lawrence-Walls co-founded Fresh Houwse Grocery, a farmer-owned, community-operated store in Sunnyside, and Black Farmer Box, a weekly box of seasonal, farm-raised products.
Gail Taylor (Washington, D.C.)
Gail Taylor is the owner and operator of Three Part Harmony Farm, a 2-acre plot of land in Northeast Washington, D.C. She established the farm in 2012 to “learn more about where good food comes from” and “understand how produce finds its way from a farm to the grocery store.”
Taylor spearheaded the three-year “I Want DC to Grow” campaign that led to the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act of 2014, a bill that incentivized the use of privately-owned land for farming and community gardens. At Three Part Harmony, she grows crops using organic practices and markets the produce in the area.
She is also a member of the Black Dirt Farm Collective — a Maryland-based community of farmers, educators, scientists, agrarians, seed keepers, and organizers committed to food justice education.
Jamila “Farmer J” Norman (Atlanta, Georgia)
A first-generation American daughter born to Caribbean parents, Jamila “Farmer J” Norman has a personal history rooted in agriculture. She founded Patchwork City Farms in Atlanta in 2010 and operates the 1.2-acre farm full-time.
Patchwork is certified naturally grown. All vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers grown on the land are chemical fertilizer-, pesticide-, and herbicide-free. The seasonal veggies are sold through local farmers markets and at the farm’s weekly seasonal shop.
Norman is a founding member and current manager of South West Atlanta Growers Cooperative (SWAG Coop), a cooperative with a mission to strengthen Atlanta’s Black farmers and community.
She is also nationally recognized for her work. For three seasons, she’s been featured on HBO Max’s Homegrown, where she helps families transform their outdoor spaces into backyard farms.
