URBAN FARMS

The Giving GARDEN

From apples to zucchini, Black Seeds Urban Farms feeds the soul of its Memphis community

Raised 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.

“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.

In addition to offering fresh food, Black Seeds also hosts free educational programs and hands-on workshops. of vegetables and fruits. They grow a variety of produce, from zucchini and eggplants to apples, raspberries and pears, and herbs like peppermint, lavender and thyme.

“Whenever we have a harvest, we’ll let people know throughout the neighborhood,” Bobby says. “Sometimes we contact the church next door and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got tomatoes, we have bags of okra.’ Most of the things that we grow, we pretty much give away.”

Bobby, now a certified master gardener, does all the labor, while his wife handles the agribusiness side. They’ve grown close to their new Greenlaw friends in what was once a food desert.

“It has just been unbelievable how well received we have been,” Derravia says.

Most of the things that we grow, we pretty much give away.”

Bobby Rich, founder of Black Seeds Urban Farms

More Than a Garden

Much like Derravia’s childhood garden, Black Seeds feeds not just the body, but the soul. The owners encourage area residents to relax in a swing or a hammock or sit by the fire pit and surround themselves in the solace of green, growing things. “It’s very therapeutic,” Bobby says.

They also host free educational programs and garden stations with hands-on workshops for both youth and adults. School groups sometimes visit to learn about growing their own food and the importance of land stewardship.

The Rich family was inspired to start Black Seeds after restoring Derravia’s grandfather’s garden in Memphis.

On the for-profit side, Black Seeds Urban Farms offers space rentals, garden consultations and other events, along with private picnic packages. The Riches hope to expand in 2022 and are open to partnering with other organizations to add even more features.

“I come from a neighborhood right in the middle of a food desert, where nutritious food isn’t readily available. I know how impactful it can be on the people in a community who don’t have fresh foods nearby,” Derravia says. “I want to make sure that we are providing those options to people in neighborhoods who wouldn’t otherwise have that access.” – Nancy Henderson

Find more online

For more information about the farm, visit blackseedsurbanfarm.com.

STILL GROWING

Thanks to innovative program, cotton really is the “Fabric of our Lives”TM

Pick up a set of sheets or a T-shirt, and you’re likely to see the trademark seal with a plant sprouting from the word “cotton” or immediately think of the catchy slogan, “The Fabric of Our Lives.”

What you might not realize is just how much work went into that iconic marketing campaign.

It all began more than 50 years ago, when cotton producers banded together to counter the new “easycare” synthetic fabrics capturing America’s attention by improving profitability and boosting demand for cotton products worldwide.

Initiated by the Cotton Research and Promotion Act of 1966 and overseen by the Memphis-based Cotton Board, the self-funded research and promotion program was so successful that Upland cotton – the most common type grown in the U.S. – became the nation’s bestselling fiber in jeans and many other products.

The Cotton Research and Promotion Program is just as important today as it was when it was first brought about in the ’60s.”

“The Cotton Research and Promotion Program is just as important today as it was when it was first brought about in the ’60s,” says The Cotton Board CEO Bill Gillon. “Polyester is our main competitor, but there are other competing fibers as well. So, the importance of having cotton in the forefront of the consumer’s mind

and having consumers think very positively about cotton and cotton products is just as critical to cotton producers today as it ever has been.”

In 1990, the Program expanded to include importers of cotton apparel and other items, allowing retailers like Levi Strauss & Co. and Walmart to share their input.

“Their influence on the direction of the Program now is pretty substantial,” Gillon says. “And they help us do a better job of keeping abreast of consumer trends.” Marketing, of course, isn’t the only role of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. Manufacturing advancements like wrinkle-resistant fabrics and water-resistant cotton keep consumers coming back, while farmers benefit from developments like time-saving equipment, on-farm agronomic research trials and best-practice methods that help them conserve water and grow sustainable crops.

A recent Economic Effectiveness Study conducted by independent analysts every five years shows that the Program is successful on many levels. Among other things, it has increased demand for cotton fiber and related products, boosted revenue for producers and importers, and expanded yields and acreage of cotton.

The report also shows Program stakeholders where their assessment dollars are going. “For about every dollar that a producer contributes to the Program, it generates $6.40 in returns,” Gillon says. “And for the importer side of it, it’s over $17 for every dollar they invest.

“This is just a tremendous example of cotton producers coming together in the ’60s to create a Program that no one individual could,” he adds. “They enlisted the help of government and created something that’s had long-lasting, positive economic benefits for the industry. And we’re still working together today.”