![]() And quite frankly, waste of food and produce isn't going to go away, either.”Īs the farm campus project moves forward, Rivers says it opens the door for other urban farms and educational programs, such as the 4Roots Café at the Orlando Science Center. “I always say that COVID didn't cause food shortages and hunger, it just brought it to light.” But Rivers says these issues are still happening today. So those are some of the areas that we're hoping to spark interest.”įood insecurity has become a more urgent issue during the coronavirus pandemic. But agriculture itself has so many different legs to it- from science, to botany, to chemistry, to hydroponics, aquaponics, all the technology that's involved. “When young students think of farming, it’s easy to think about a pitchfork and being out in the middle of the field. Two things that Rivers wants to educate young students about is understanding where the food they eat comes from and changing the perception of farming. “The intent of the farm campus is to teach both the youth, as well as teachers and parents and farmers, about different styles and different ways of approaching agriculture from a sustainable and regenerative perspective.” The land stretches across 40 acres and is located two miles outside of downtown Orlando, in what is called the “packing district.” Rivers says that the proximity to students and families helps the disadvantaged community because they can have regular cooking and education classes. Now they are waiting on permits to be processed. Rivers and his 4R Foundation is in the middle of developing a farm campus project, the 4Roots Farm, which is six years in the making. How can we work together collectively to pour into both current black farmers, that there aren't that many of them out there, by the way, and more importantly, the youth? How do we inspire young, black African American students to want to learn more about agriculture in general? That was our appeal.” “When I found out about Greg and how he was representing the black farmers, not just here in Florida, but from all over the country, you know, that directly aligns with our mission to tell that story, as well as, one of the more important things, to advance it. And if you look back in our history, you know, the black farmer had a key piece in that role in forming what farming is today in America.” “A key piece of the actual campus itself is telling us the history and the story of Florida farming, and highlighting the Florida farmers that are out there. When Rivers heard about Francis’s book, he says he felt that the 4Roots Farm demonstrated similar values in its mission. And so I'd have a better understanding of exactly what it was, and who it was that I'd be representing.” Once I started hearing the plight of the farmers, their stories and that type of thing, I started going out and meeting the farmers on their farms. “My experience really came about as a result of this case. Traveling to Mississippi and running a law office there helped him understand the discrimination facing farmers. He says that with that knowledge, we can avoid repeating history.įrancis grew up in Orlando but did not know much about farming or the case beforehand. ![]() So for many, it's a history lesson.”įrancis says that the treatment of the Black farmers in the 1980s and 1990s mirrors what we see today and we should pay attention to how one system can affect groups of people differently. “Most of the reaction that I get is that they knew nothing about the case, nothing about the plight of the farmers. “Although only involved the discrimination between 19, it was certainly a victory for the farmers in terms of acknowledgement of the treatment that they had been receiving for so many years,” Francis says.įrancis says that people have thanked him for sharing the story of the case and the history of farming in America. Department of Agriculture, but due to the color of their skin, they were denied these resources. The farmers were promised land and resources by the U.S. Glickman, focused on discrimination against African American farmers after slavery. Rivers talks about his partnership with Francis, and shares how local farmers play a role in the community and overcoming food insecurity.įrancis says the civil rights case: Pigford v. Rivers is working on a new project in Orlando- a campus farm that will help educate young students on the importance of nutrition and agriculture. Joining the conversation with Intersection host Matthew Peddie is John Rivers, the founder and CEO of the 4Rivers brand. ![]() That case is the subject of Orlando attorney Greg Francis’s new book ‘Just Harvest’, which details the plight of Black farmers, and his work on the civil rights discrimination lawsuit.įrancis joins Intersection to discuss his experience representing the farmers and the road to agricultural equality. In 1999, Black farmers won a landmark civil rights case against the U.S. ![]()
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