FARMER DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATION
According to the USDA Census of Agriculture in 2017, the United States had 48,697 producers who identified as black, either alone or in combination with another race. They accounted for 1.4 percent of the country’s 3.4 million producers.
Farms To Grow, Inc provides one-on-one and cohort technical assistance to assist African American agricultural producers in developing a plan to advance their operation. Our focus stems from sustainable principles of Dr. George Washington Carver to conserve resources and increase efficiency.
African American farm operators tend to be older with smaller farms, fewer acres, and lower sales but with the same challenges as larger farms only fewer opportunities.
Our farmers reach out for technical assistance, and resources for machinery, feed, succession plans, crop production assistance, drought issues, grant writing, and distribution opportunities.
YOUNG CHEFS
COOKING & NUTRITION
We offer community cooking programs for adults, children, and families together. Our goal is to connect restaurants and independent chefs to schools and youth centers to bring the joy of cooking to classrooms and after-school programs.
GARDENS TO GROW
Farms To Grow, Inc has installed several gardens in local public schools, Head Start, and Child Care Centers. We currently work with the YMCA East Bay and Frick Middle School to teach and share the love of gardening.
DISTRIBUTION - FARM TO MARKET
DIRECT TO CONSUMER
We connect communities directly to local farmers in their area. If restaurants, families, or individuals are interested in purchasing in quantity directly from local Black farmers we can make those connections.
Email: marketing@farmstogrow.com for more information.
FARMS TO SCHOOLS
We connect minority farmers to local schools so they can educate children on where their food comes from and to provide a hands-on growing curriculum.
Schools can also arrange field trips to our local farms. We match local farmers to the schools in their area to provide local schools with healthy food or together they can develop a strategy for a local and peri-local food system.
FARMERS' MARKET PROGRAM
Seasonal: Reopens June 2024
SUMMER SEASON
2nd & 4th SAT (9:00 a - 2:00 p)
4521 Telegraph Ave, Oakland
By supporting farmers markets, you support a local economy and healthier sustainable agroecosystem. We believe that farmers markets are strategies communities can use to empower themselves to eat healthier.
Farms To Grow, Inc is committed to facilitating the economic and community development goals that have been identified by community stakeholders and farmers to implement community farmers markets.
By supporting your farmers' market you sustain farmers who farm and steward the earth responsibly.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA)
HARVEST BAGS
Farms to Grow, Inc is working with California’s African American farmers, urban gardeners, food preservers, a worker-owned food cooperative, and other sustainable farmers to build a collaborative community supported agriculture program.
Our CSA program is a way for consumers to buy seasonal produce at the peak of ripeness direct from the farmer.
Open: #LikeItFresh
Pick up or Delivery Available
Distribution Location:
5316 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA
COMMUNITY OUTREACH/FUNDRAISER
Dr. George Washington Carver "CIRCLING BACK"
Circling Back is a mobile educational panel installation and an Youth Interactive Science Lab.
Educational Panel
It's intended to provide opportunities for community leaders and Farmers to partner for an overarching purpose of empowering communities around food, health, environmental stewardship, the legacy of black farmers, career pathways in agriculture and sustainable practices.
Dr. George Washington Carver
Youth Interactive Science Lab.
This is an interactive learning exhibit honoring the legacy of Dr. George Washington Carver as a farmer, artist, scientist, inventor, and teacher.
The interactive exhibit brings Dr. George Washington Carver to life with a microscope table to view plant samples, his inventions, games, books, and images of young GWC.
For more information
Email: marketing@farmstogrow.com
RHYTHMS OF THE LAND
ROTL is an original documentary multimedia film project by anthropologist/filmmaker Gail P. Myers, Ph.D.
During the summer of 2012, Dr. Myers toured 10 southern states interviewing over 30 African American farmers, sharecroppers, gardeners and one 6th generation coil basket weaver. Your tax-deductible contribution will be dedicated towards post-production, distribution, and marketing of Rhythms of the Land.
After 20 years in conception and 2 years in post-production, the has been completed.
THANK YOU to all of our sponsors and donors, we could not have done without you!
Visit rhythmsoftheland.com to request a screening and see the trailer.
FARM TO INSTITUTION
In 2020, R&DE's Stanford Food Institute (SFI) partnered with Farms to Grow, Inc., to launch the Equitable Harvest and the Black Farmers Initiative. The program aims to help overcome historical barriers by developing and sharing a scalable purchasing model. We developed two toolkits as part of Equitable Harvest and the Black Farmers Initiative: one to help Black farmers navigate the path to wholesale markets and another to help foodservice organizations diversify their sourcing through engagement with Black farmers. For more information email marketing@farmstogrow.com.