'We are facing extinction': Black farmers in steep decline

[Ya' Cousin Cleon]

this is gonna come off redundant but would it hypothetically be worthwhile to start farming in suburban areas with a lot of acreages?

I volunteer at an urban farm out here in charlotte (PM me for more details) that pays black highschoolers to grow vegetables. A lot of them even dont see the opportunity that is in front of them right now. Lack of exposure is really criminal. They don't see what it can become for them. They very much enjoy it but getting an honest days work out of them is very difficult.

A lot of farmers are struggling, and because of that we are getting hit hardest. For the most part it is a wash trying to commodity crop. More farmers have to make relationships directly with institutions, like unfortunately restaurants, adn become exclusive suppliers. Many of the farmers that we are lamenting in this thread are farming commodities and with how NAFTA and other trade agreements work, farming corn, wheat, and soybeans aint gonna cut it. The farms unfortunately also do not have the time on their hands to be able to become more of a marketer/market maker for themselves and sell to coops or larger distribution things.

Some of the things I am saying have been covered very well since the 80s in the book How to make $100,000 on 25 Acres by Dr. Booker T. Whatley.

 

[Jimmy from Linkedin]

this is gonna come off redundant but would it hypothetically be worthwhile to start farming in suburban areas with a lot of acreages?

absolutely. Urban producers have the already added value of "clean" = organic because customers can readily identify you. This is huge, and you can factor these into your premiums that you can charge for produce. However, unless it is something very niche, I definitely disagree with producing raw vegetables because you will not be able to compete with WalMart/Target until you have definite buy-in with your customer base.

Something you can get started now is buying some sweet potatoes from the local organic grocer and leaving them in a windowsill, getting them to sprout "slips" and you can plant those. They are voracious, have little pest problems, and you already know someone who would buy them come thanksgiving.

Look into your states "Cottage Kitchen" laws. if you are in fact in Dallas/Texas, you can grow foods and sell value-added products right from your backyard into the farmers market. PM me if you want some more resources about these concepts.

 

[Ya' Cousin Cleon]

Good look bro!

absolutely. Urban producers have the already added value of "clean" = organic because customers can readily identify you. This is huge, and you can factor these into your premiums that you can charge for produce. However, unless it is something very niche, I definitely disagree with producing raw vegetables because you will not be able to compete with WalMart/Target until you have definite buy-in with your customer base.

Something you can get started now is buying some sweet potatoes from the local organic grocer and leaving them in a windowsill, getting them to sprout "slips" and you can plant those. They are voracious, have little pest problems, and you already know someone who would buy them come thanksgiving.

Look into your states "Cottage Kitchen" laws. if you are in fact in Dallas/Texas, you can grow foods and sell value-added products right from your backyard into the farmers market. PM me if you want some more resources about these concepts.

 

[010101]

my fam stay with something growing in the yard

i think environment has a lot to do with it

in the islands tropical environments it feels natural if even just on a small personal scale

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