The Agro Activist

The Agro Activist

I am an Agro Activist. Which means I am passionate about food security in the world. I have been a urban farmer or gardener for 3 years. Still a novice but I am learning what it takes at Oregon State University Agriculture department.

What would it take for you to wake up and say to yourself "I want to be a farmer". Many are beginning to ask themselves if they have what it takes. Many communities of color are experiencing a drop in farmers. You can conclude that these communities are loosing access to the same quality farm food that our ancestors had access to. Out of 1,000,000 total farmers in America. Only 29,000 of them are Blacks which once was over a million identified farmers directly after the civil war. Our participation needs to increase. Agriculture is changing and requires more young qualified people to step up into the role of food providers for their communities as the previous generation retires. The average Black farmer is 60 years old according to NPR.

Many people have heard recently about the long standing discrimination law suit won by hand full of Black farmers. Learning about my own ancestors and the past work that they contributed to the land in the Americas inspired me to embrace my cultural heritage as a farmers. When I learned about the great migration of Black farmers from the south in north America it helped me realize that we have a mountain of knowledge as farmers, horticulturist, and botanist. We must reclaim that heritage where we are now. In cities, in urban communities, in hoods, and communities of poverty. Greening our cities can be accomplished with planning and patience. We must be at the table for the future transformation of our local food decisions. Food security is a big issue for many urbanities.

In 2010 we are seeing a crises in our food industry, there is a global crises for food security, Large multinational corporations are bullying their way to king corning the world, and genetically modified foods are being questioned.

We can change all of that. Like Lyfe said, It was told to me a story about this boy who would sit and watch kids play at the arcade in his neighborhood. He would watch the kids come and play games all day, with kids coming and going as soon as they ran out of quarters. One after the next would play the game then run out of quarters and have to end his game. There was one kid that came in one day with his friend. He would play and play like he never left. It turns out that that kid's friend would bring him more quarters when he was nearing the end of his game. That kid would play for hours with out stop or interruption. That is much like life. Those who stay in the game the longest make change.

Greening the urban environment is being done all through the U.S. today. I would like to highlight the efforts of many of these folks on my Blog. for example Van Jones, Mojora Carter, and many others throughout the country. You will read and see me experience what it takes to become more sustainable. I will also highlight tips for greening your home, farming, and urban bounty. I will also update you on news related to the black community and all ethnic agricultural news that I can get. As this develops the topics with grow just like this Agro Activist.

Peace and blessing Ty Regis Cuffy Schwoeffermann