Waste Hater: Metro Atlanta Urban Farm
Farming may be one of the most traditional practices that exists, yet in the U.S., agriculture remains exclusive, and intrinsically linked to racial and economic injustice.
Unless Bobby Wilson has his way...
A 2022 CNN Hero and founder of Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, Wilson works every day to ensure the BIPOC community has the opportunity to farm, eat nutritious foods, and live sustainably and equitably. He aims to reduce barriers in urban communities through high quality, low-cost agricultural production, and education.
And he’s kind of a big deal.
Across five acres in College Park, GA, Metro Atlanta Urban Farm produces 25 crops during warm and cool seasons, including okra, tomatoes, swiss chard, spinach, turnips and collards. Additionally, the organization hosts a community garden, farmer’s market, festivals, cooking classes, agricultural training, rental plots, and food delivery.
Since 2009, Wilson has taught thousands of people how to plant and grow their own vegetables, and prepare meals with them. He’s hosted more than 3,000 students for farm tours and agricultural S.T.E.M. field trips. During the pandemic, he helped feed more than 25,000 families, and assisted local farmers who were struggling to stay afloat.
Now, with inflation driving up food prices, Wilson’s at it again.
“If we can eat better foods, stay away from the fast-food places, then any community can rid itself of the high blood pressure and diabetes that we are challenged with,” Wilson told CNN. “We’re more than just a farm. We’re about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, because at the end of the day, I want my grandchildren to have it better than what I have today.”
The depths of the farming divide date back to chattel slavery, where Black people were made to work in fields without pay, after being forced against their will into the country. This type of work continues to be associated with arduous labor, torture and dehumanization, as the enduring trauma remains prevalent in the Black community today. Many potential growers avoid the terrain altogether.
Systemic hurdles further exacerbate these disparities. The United States Department of Agriculture, for example, has historically denied Black farmers loans, and access to technical assistance, making it nearly impossible to move the needle forward. Black farmers have consistently been refused financial resources, information, credit and loans, political standing, and professional opportunities, which limits their ability to shape the food system.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, though BIPOC represent nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population, they own less than five percent of the nation’s farms, and cultivate less than one percent of its farmland. At the same time, a majority of the 2.4 million farmworkers are people of color.
Essentially, BIPOC farmers don’t have opportunities to own land, but they’re doing the majority of work.
From the beginning, Wilson knew he had to rebuild trust in the community. With Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, he sought the most cost-effective methods for growing produce, chose to become a certified naturally grown farm, and utilized both ancient and innovative techniques to ensure food would be inexpensive for customers.
The goal of the organization is to create sustainable urban agriculture, and build scalable health and economic empowerment zones.
“(I want) to make sure that everybody has a seat at the table and that their voices count,” Wilson also told CNN. “When small and disadvantaged farmers didn’t have the avenue to get rid of that produce because people were not coming out to buy, we had an opportunity to help keep them alive. We were buying food from African American farmers who did not have outlets and giving it away.”
Like Wilson, others have taken up the charge to make agricultural practices more equitable. This means advocating for more government subsidies, legal aid, better access to loans, improved property laws, or targeted grants and incentives to fund BIPOC-led farms.
This year, Senator Cory Booker reintroduced the Justice for Black Farmers Act, something he first initiated in 2020. The legislation aims to “address and correct historic discrimination…that has caused Black farmers to lose millions of acres of farmland, and robbed Black farmers and their families of the hundreds of billions of dollars of intergenerational wealth that the land represented.”
Activists are helping to push the bill with a petition, which anyone can sign to show their support. The Act outlines steps to correct racial injustices, and would help ensure that Black farmers' have access to the same benefits and services as others.
We encourage everyone to sign the petition and support this mission today!
UPDATE as of 2024 - The Justice for Black Farmers Act was reintroduced to the Senate floor in 2023.
To learn more about Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, visit their website.
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