Black Urban Farmers Flipping Vacant Lots, Food Apartheid & the Face of Farming

In this episode, I sit down with my brothers, Farmer Rich and Farmer Shawn from Park City Harvest in Bridgeport, Connectcut. Two Black urban farmers who are literally turning vacant lots into lifelines for their community. We talk about how grandmothers’ gardens, health challenges, and corporate layoffs pushed them out of “regular jobs” and into building a farm business that feeds people, mentors youth, and changes how we see Black farmers.They share what it’s really like farming in Connecticut without owning land, why only 1% of farmers are Black, and how land access, gentrification, and politics shape who gets to grow food. We get into how they’ve been paid to grow food and give it away, why they started Park City Harvest in 2017, and how CSA programs, community gardens, and backyard/front-yard growing can actually help end food apartheid in our neighborhoods.If you’ve ever said “I don’t have a green thumb,” “I don’t eat vegetables,” or “I don’t have land,” this conversation will lovingly call you higher. We talk about:Changing the image of what a farmer looks likeWhy communities must grow some of their own foodHow to really support Black and local farmers (beyond photo-ops)The role of entrepreneurship in our survival and freedom