Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm and training center dedicated to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system
“With deep reverence for the Earth and wisdom of our ancestors, we practice regenerative agroecology, raise and distribute life-giving food, equip the rising generation of BIPOC farmers, and mobilize communities to work toward food and land sovereignty.”
This project explores how small-scale, landbased design interventions can support the experience of participants at Soul Fire Farm specifically those attending BIPOC immersion programs. Soul Fire Farm is a Black and Indigenous-led organization focused on food sovereignty, land justice, and healing through ancestral agricultural practices
Inspired by Lo TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism by Julia Watson, the project observes how designers can show up with humility and use our skills to support not dominate community-led spaces This booklet imagines a quiet design role making moments like waking up in a tent, walking to brush your teeth, or sitting alone in the woods feel more grounded, intentional, and nourishing.
The goal isn’t to “fix” anything. It’s to observe what already exists, listen to the community, and ask: How can landscape architecture make the land feel even more held?
After parking, participants follow a soft, mulched path into the farm. The texture of the mulch beneath their feet immediately signals a shift it slows you down The path is simple but intentional, winding gently through low native plants
A mulched walking path lined with native plants leading from entrance to parking to the main gathering space
This moment of walking not on pavement, but through grounded earth invites participants to breathe, slow down, and arrive in their bodies The path isn’t just functional it’s a sensory cue that you ’ re entering a space where care and the land come first
At the entrance, visitors pass a hand-carved wooden marker etched with a greeting and a land acknowledgment. The material is natural and unpolished.
This sign doesn’t commercialize the space. It honors it. A subtle reminder that the land has always been held, that the work of justice starts with remembering, and that this is not just a farm it’s a site of cultural healing
Carved wooden or stone welcome marker (possibly with land acknowledgment)
This marker could also include a line from the community or from Soul Fire’s mission, offering words for those who are just arriving Orientation Map
A small orientation map stands near the entrance, giving new visitors a visual understanding of where they are. It shows camping areas, bathrooms, and paths not with rigid labels, but with illustrations and flowing lines.
The goal isn’t to control movement it’s to reduce anxiety, especially for people who are new to camping or long programs, knowing where you ’ re going is a form of care The map is hand-drawn and mounted on natural wood or stone
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Raised mulched areas under each tent to reduce dampness, improve drainage, and keep participants from sleeping directly on packed soil. Natural materials, soft texture, low cost.
A few clusters of native shrubs or tall grasses (like switchgrass, sweetspire, or elderberry) between tents not to isolate, but to offer a sense of privacy without fencing
Using low mounding to subtly define each camping spot, helping participants know where their personal space begins and ends without being told
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