| URBAN FARMS |
The Giving
GARDEN From apples to zucchini, Black Seeds Urban Farms feeds the soul of its Memphis community
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“When she passed away in May of 2019, we found a lot of comfort in just sitting in the garden and reflecting on memories of what we all had experienced in our backyard,” Derravia says. “That was a really hard time for me, but it ended up turning into a very pivotal moment for me and Bobby because we realized the many benefits that came along with sitting in a garden.”
The Seeds of a New Venture With assistance from the local Community Redevelopment Agency, which helped them find the perfect spot for sale, in July 2021 the Riches turned a vacant lot in the Uptown neighborhood of Greenlaw into a full-blown business. Much like the family garden that inspired it, Black Seeds Urban Farms raises – and openly shares – all types
Bobby and Derravia Rich founded Black Seeds Urban Farms in the Greenlaw neighborhood of Memphis. They grow fresh produce for a community previously considered a food desert, meaning an area where nutritious food isn’t readily available.
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Tennessee Ag Insider
PHOTOS: KAREN PULFER FOCHT
aised by her grandparents in South Memphis, Derravia Rich loved watching her grandfather tend his tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables while she and her sisters and cousins played in the yard. The produce he raised fed his large family and many of his neighbors too. By the time Derravia and her husband, Bobby, moved back to Memphis after a decade in Nashville, her granddad had passed away and weeds were choking the beloved garden. At the time, Derravia was working as the K-12 coordinator of the digital agronomy program at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Covington and Bobby as a firefighter. When Bobby showed an interest in the garden, Derravia’s uncle, Robert “Bubay” Freeman, started showing him how to restore it to its original state. In 2019, the couple moved into Derravia’s grandparents’ house to take care of her ailing grandmother – and the garden.
