Beginning Farmer Stories
Hear directly from small farmers as they share their experiences, insights, and advice for those just starting out. In these beginning farmer videos, farmers discuss their journeys, challenges, and successes, offering valuable lessons and inspiration for beginning farmers.
D-Town Farms: Sankofa and Self-Care
Sankofa and Self-Care is an important component of D-Town Farm. According to a Ghanaian proverb, Sankofa means “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” The Sankofa symbol is a bird with an egg (the future) in its mouth walking forward while turning its head backwards. We use to emphasize the significance of retrieving lessons from the past to inform the future while we live in the present. Food sovereignty is a historical process because we are living out our ancestral legacies of communing with, on and through land to sustain ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is also a process of self-care that charges us to move beyond growing food and take care of ourselves as we reflect on why and how we farm. We farm because we are part of nature, not outside or beyond it. As land stewards and ancestral worshipers, farming is an act of self-care. Sankofa is the way we remember and hold tight to this principle in our daily practice of working the land. Learn more about D-Town Farms here: https://www.dbcfsn.org/dtownfarm
Growing Hope
Julius Buzzard, Executive Director at Growing Hope Urban Farm in Ypsilanti, Michigan, shares his advice for beginning farmers. Learn more about Growing Hope here: https://growinghope.net/
We the People Opportunity Farm
Eric Kampe, Farm Manager at We the People Opportunity Farm in Ypsilanti, Michigan, talks about the work his farm is doing and shares his advice for beginning farmers. Learn more about this farm here: https://www.wtpof.org/
D-Town Farms: Raised Garden Beds
This Raised Bed Tutorial is a step-by-step guide to build a raised bed garden to mitigate flooding areas, accessibility, avoid lead or soils contaminated with heavy metals and other reasons. Raised beds are an important technical process that requires a few supplies and working hands. Learn more about D-Town Farms here: https://www.dbcfsn.org/dtownfarm
Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning, and Innovation
In this video, Naim Edwards talks about Michigan State University's first urban agriculture center, Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning, and Innovation (DPFLI).
Magnolia Avenue Farms
Aliza Ghaffari, co-manager of Magnolia Avenue Farms in Lansing, Michigan, shares her advice for beginning farmers. Learn more about Magnolia Avenue Farms here: https://www.facebook.com/magnoliaavefarms/
Wildtype Native Plant Nursery
Bill Schneider with Wildtype Native Plant Nursery in Mason, Michigan talks about the history of his farm and shares his advice for beginning farmers. https://www.wildtypeplants.com/