the global food institute through george washington university held a lecture focused on black farmers titled “rural & urban food sovereignty: black communities taking the lead” on sept. 25.

several experts on a panel from rural and urban communities discussed their progress and challenges of being a farmer. the panel was hosted by mya o. price, an assistant professor at the global food institute, with panelists dion dawson, chief dreamer of dion’s chicago dream; cicely garrett, co-executive director of the national black food and justice alliance; qiana mickie, new york city’s inaugural executive director of the office of urban agriculture within the mayor’s office; and ashley c. smith, executive director of black soil ky.

before the panel began, opening remarks were shared by tambra raye stevenson, the founder and ceo of women advancing nutrition, dietetics, and agriculture (wanda). she discussed her heritage as a fifth-generation oklahoman and the historical significance of black farming communities.

she also highlighted the erasure of black cultural contributions and the need for policy changes. addressing the audience, she asked them to “plant hope,” meaning attendees should support black food sovereignty through community and policy efforts.

“by planting hope, we will not just simply survive: we will thrive,” stevenson said.

ashley c. smith of black soil ky, an organization promoting agriculture to black kentuckians, said a major challenge for black farmers in a rural area is balancing the finances. she said rural farmers know no one, like national funders, are coming to “save them.”

according to the economic research service, a part of the department of agriculture researching agriculture, the environment, and rural development, 86% of all united states counties with “high and persistent levels” of poverty in 2019 were rural.

“we can’t have our farmers standing in the food bank or food pantry lines,” smith said. “they have to be fully supported.”

cicely garrett of the national black food and justice alliance, an organization representing rural and urban black farmers, said she saw some successes amid the challenges. she specifically pointed to a growing number of people who are more open to collaboration. she said more people have space to breathe, they have the time to dream of certain ideas, and they want to collaborate to make their ideas possible.

“having more encouragement around people doing this, like organic, genuine relationships in which they have shared values and vision, is something we are seeing more of,” garrett said.

qiana mickie of the new york city mayor’s office said there are some innovations and strategies giving her hope today. one example was people creatively using spaces, especially in urban areas. she said she wants to use underutilized spaces, like by expanding community and school gardens.

“there is the opportunity of leveraging smaller micro-contracts, or meeting them where they’re at, at their scale and still creating contracts that can create food,” mickie said.

but she also added there is not much sustainability and upkeep in places like community or school gardens, as they require maintenance.

in terms of black communities responding to climate change, organizations are finding some success, dion dawson said. dawson runs dion’s chicago dream, an organization working to improve health outcomes and equity while addressing food security in chicago. according to dawson, the organization produces around a quarter of million pounds annually and does not waste anything.

while working towards a solution, dawson added, he hopes everyone does not have a doomsday plan; rather, he challenges everyone to think about a future they can hope for. he also said “resiliency” is necessary, but in some cases it is not needed. 

for dawson, the goal of building a sustainable future is a group effort. “i think everyone should look at themselves like a lego,” dawson said.