|
Farming While
Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the
Land
by Leah Penniman, foreword by Karen Washington
c.2018, Chelsea Green Publishing
$34.95 / $47.50 Canada
368 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
Your hands are filthy.
Dirt lines every crease and covers much of your knuckles.
It’s beneath your fingernails, all the way up to your
wrists, soiling the edges of your sweatshirt and down your
front. Yes, your hands are filthy but once you’ve read
Farming While Black by Leah Penniman, your smile
will be wide.
|
.jpg) |
|
Years ago, in search of a way to make a difference in Black
lives, Leah Penniman fell in love with cilantro. She met it
on the first day of an urban program to teach people to grow
food, and when she smelled the herb, it was “magical.” It
made her want her own farm, to feed her children, to ease
the dire statistics she knew about obesity and heart disease
among African Americans and Native Americans, and to lessen
the terrible commonness of “food deserts.”
To begin, she says, “Aspiring farmers need three essential
ingredients… training, land, and material resources.”
Training can be received through classes or intern programs,
but be careful what you ask for: some programs might require
you to work for free, which may be “all too reminiscent of
the exploitation of [your] ancestors.”
As for acquiring land, you may find what you need by
“squatting” (check local laws), or by finding a farmer who’s
retiring. Know your options when it comes to financing, and
make a business plan; in fact, never tackle a farm without a
plan.
If the land you want has been ill-cared for, don’t despair.
There are ways of restoring land that has been neglected.
Know what to “feed” it, and then know proper land management
methods to maintain soil health. Think carefully about what
you’ll plant; food and medicine may both be welcome in your
community. Know the proper (and safe) way to use tools, and
how to take care of those you use. Add animals to your farm.
And finally, remember that you don’t have to have acres and
acres to farm; a small, abandoned corner is a perfectly
valid way to dip your toes in the dirt.
Although it’s a little pricey, as paperbacks go, Farming
While Black is absolutely one of those books where you
get your money’s worth.
Starting with the illustrative story of Soul Fire Farm’s
beginning, author Leah Penniman offers statistics to prove
on-going need, and history to show that farming isn’t
anything new for Black Americans. In today’s world, though,
Penniman advocates community-based farms that are tended not
by one set of hands but by many – and she takes their
creation step-by-step so that readers don’t feel
overwhelmed. Indeed, her thoroughness here (it seems as
though every little detail is covered) makes this a solid
reference book for farms and community gardens of all sizes.
Be aware that this book may seem somewhat new-agey at times,
and it can over-reach, too; some chapters seem superfluous.
Even so, for budding farmers, new green thumbs, or aspiring
back-to-the-landers, it could be the exact right book to
have. For you, missing Farming While Black would be a
dirty shame.
|
