The Groundwork Podcast

Honey Bee Goode Apiary is located in South Fulton City, GA and was founded by Ashley and Lloyd Hardrick after traveling to London in 2014 and stumbling upon an old bank, “Lloyd’s Bank”. Their interest was peaked after they discovered that the founder of Lloyd’s bank was obsessed with beehives, and after returning from their trip, they too became obsessed. Lloyd and Ashely are both passionate about honeybees. Their mission is to “ To teach and educate our local communities about the importance of honeybees. And to support the community by creating natural pollinator friendly paradises in and around the local communities as safe havens for bee hives.” They operate at several locations in South Fulton and operate an online shop with products from their apiary.

Soul Fire Farm is located in Petersburgh, NY and was co-founded by Leah Penniman in 2011. Soul Fire farm “is committed to ending racism and injustice in the food system”. This is accomplished through their extensive programs, like the Black- Latinx Farmers Immersion, their “Uprooting Racism immersion, youth programs as well as their community farm days. They run a farm share CSA which functions in the spirit of ujaama, or cooperative economics. Leah has just released her book “Farming While Black, Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.  The book is collection knowledge gathered over the years through Leah’s experience building Soul Fire Farm and can be used as a tool for reconnecting black people to their heritage as farmers.

Three Part Harmony Farm is located in Washington D.C. and founded by Gail Taylor in 2012. Three Part Harmony runs a Community Supported Agriculture also know as a CSA. The core principles of the farm are Food as Medicine, Food as Culture and Food for our Future. The creation of Three Part Harmony farm also pushed the passage of the DC Food Security act of 2014 also known as DC’s Farm Bill. This bill created more opportunities for farms like Three Part Harmony to grow commercially in Washington D.C.

D-Town farm is located in Detroit, Michigan and was founded by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network in 2006. The Detroit Black Community Food Security Networks mission is "to build self-reliance, food security and justice in Detroit’s Black community by influencing public policy, engaging in urban agriculture, promoting healthy eating, encouraging cooperative buying and directing youth towards careers in food-related fields." Their mission is accomplished through their farm, educational and Youth Programs and their Co-op. During this conversation, I spoke to Shakara Tyler, a member of the DBCFSN Board of director's to discuss the mission and the work that DBCFSN does for the community.

Oko Farms is located in Brooklyn, NY and was Co-founded by Yemi Amu in 2013. Oko Farms is an aquaponics farm which means it uses water and fish byproduct to grow its plants. Yemi is passionate about education and uses her background in nutrition to foster an interest in farming and healthy eating. Listen to her talk about her experience as a farmer in this episode.

Hello! This is the very first episode of the Groundwork Podcast. A podcast focused on farmers of color. In this short preview episode, I will give a brief overview of why I decided to start this podcast and what I will be covering during my conversations with farmers.