{"id":183,"date":"2020-11-14T16:58:11","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T16:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/?p=183"},"modified":"2020-11-14T16:58:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T16:58:11","slug":"sankofa-farms-putting-down-resilient-roots-to-grow-a-more-secure-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/2020\/11\/14\/sankofa-farms-putting-down-resilient-roots-to-grow-a-more-secure-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Sankofa Farms: Putting down resilient roots to grow a more secure future"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_184\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184\" style=\"width: 827px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-184 \" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"827\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-520x293.jpg 520w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Photo_6553619_DJI_19_jpg_4185334_0_202010116534_photo_original-740x416.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-184\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Sankofa Farms from above (Bell, 2020).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Founded in 2016 by Kamal Bell, Sankofa Farms is a 12-acre farm in Cedar Grove, NC that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">educates young Black men about agriculture and helps them to become agents of change. Sankofa also supplies food to urban communities that do not have access to fresh and healthy produce. The farm currently produces dehydrated chips, farm fresh eggs, and farm goods and is home to a summer agricultural program for young Black men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The name \u2018Sankofa\u2019 is a west African word which means, \u201cgo back and get it\u201d, and to Bell, this reminds him to remember his African culture and carry it with him going forward (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">). Bell believes in self-sufficiency, serving historically marginalized groups, and encouraging individuals to act as agents of change in their communities. He is proud of his own African heritage and is helping his students reclaim their own heritage through farming.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kamal Bell had been an Agriculture teacher in Durham, NC for 5 years when he noticed that the school systems did not have many opportunities for young Black males <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(The Atlantic Festival, 2019)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Bell asked his school if he could start a summer experience for students using the school\u2019s garden, but the school said \u2018No\u2019. In 2016, Bell purchased a 12-acre plot of land and founded the Sankofa Farm. Bell and a few students spent almost two years clearing and preparing the overgrown land that had once been a trash dump (Quillin, 2019). After Bell and the boys cleared the land, one of the students called the farm \u201can ideal farm like one you would see on television\u201d (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Atlantic Festival, 2019)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_186\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186\" style=\"width: 234px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-186\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/stock2-225x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"234\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/stock2-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/stock2-520x693.png 520w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/stock2.png 563w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-186\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In food deserts, people are forced to by groceries at places without fresh produce, such as drug stores and gas stations (stock photos, pictured above).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While North Carolina has quite a substantial agricultural base, with over $12 million added to the economy by the agricultural sector in 2018 (General Statistics, 2018) and ranking 8th overall in the nation for farm income, the USDA estimates that roughly 1.5 million people, or 1 in 10, in North Carolina live in a \u201cfood desert\u201d (Healthy Food Access, 2013) A food desert is defined as an area with a low income, where a third or more of the population live more than 1 mile away from a grocery store (Healthy Food Access, 2013). This substantially limits people living in these areas <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from regularly obtaining fresh, quality produce as part of a healthy diet. As Bell notes in an interview with Medium: \u201cThrough conversations with my students and their families, I learned that many purchase most of their food from places like convenience stores and grocery stores with limited healthy options\u201d (Medium, 2018). According to a nationwide interactive map produced by the USDA, 1 in 5 people in Durham live in a food desert (USDA ERS, 2020).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While African Americans make up roughly 13% of the United States population, they make up only 1.2% of farm owners nationally, according to the USDA (Census of Agriculture Highlights, 2014). The history of land loss among African American farmers in the 20th Century is an extensive and complex subject, one which cannot be given due justice in the confines of this article. Systemic racism came in the form of programs such as a USDA federal lending program, which repeatedly denied loans to Black farmers. The effects of such programs are evident to this day, as Black farmers receive on average only half the loan amounts given <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to white farmers, and only a third of Black farmers received any kind of government payout in 2007 (as compared to about one half of white farmers) (Cowan &amp; Feder, 2013). Not only have the amount of Black farm owners decreased over the decades due to practices like these, but youth interest in farming in Black communities has also decreased (Gilman, 2013). A large contributing factor to this decrease was the absorption, rather than integration, of the Black New Farmers of America (NFA) program by the white Future Farmers of America (FFA) program in 1965 (New Farmers of America Records, 2016).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_187\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-187\" style=\"width: 329px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-187 \" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/map-300x188.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"329\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/map-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/map-520x325.png 520w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/map.png 673w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 329px) 100vw, 329px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-187\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>An interactive map created by the USDA shows by percentage populations that live in food deserts (USDA ERS, 2020).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cYou lost Black agricultural teachers,\u201d says Bell, which, combined with other effects of systemic racism within the agricultural sector, lead to \u201cthis whole chain that\u2019s broken, where Black people are literally&#8230; starting over and starting new\u201d (K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020).\u00a0 With this loss of historical knowledge and interest, he asks: \u201cHow do you get Black kids into agriculture?\u201d Organizations like Sankofa Farms are striving to tackle this problem by working within the local community to build interest and skills in agriculture among the next generation, as well as more intangible skills and knowledge that are picked up from working on the farm (Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy Website).<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_190\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-190\" style=\"width: 419px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-190\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image002-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"558\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-190\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>(Sankofa Farms, 2020a)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms\u2019 work is rooted in re-establishing the connection between Black communities and the land that has historically been eroded by centuries of structural racism. \u201cGrowing food is a tool for dismantling systemic oppression\u201d (Gripper, 2020) and Bell also views agriculture as a tool for liberation (Dillahunt, 2019). In this way, Sankofa Farms is attempting to strengthen the existing values and beliefs about land in his community, and to recharacterize the relationship with the land as one of freedom rather than oppression. In her article \u201cThe Cracked Mirror\u201d, Wangari Maathai discusses the importance of cultural revival and perpetuating \u201cthe knowledge and wisdom inherited from the past\u201d in order to ensure the future (2004). Drawing on this shared knowledge has been made difficult by the historical efforts to strip Black people of their land. Bell\u2019s challenge is twofold: working to revive the connection between Black communities and the land while also starting a farm from scratch in the 21<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">st<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> century. In addition to acquiring the land and infrastructure for Sankofa, he is working to combat the dearth of Black agricultural professionals simply by offering Black students exposure to farming at a young age.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another key component of Sankofa Farms\u2019 success is the triple bottom line approach, a process that focuses on \u201cthe integration of social well-being, environmental protection, and economic viability goals\u201d (Rogers &amp; Ryan, 2001). Through the Agricultural Academy, Bell focuses on serving the youth in his community. The work at the farm ties together social, environmental, and economic goals by providing young people of color with an opportunity to learn farming techniques and see how those translate into economic opportunity. By providing students and their families with healthy produce, Sankofa Farms increases access to fresh, nutritious food (Bell, 2018). Bell also works to ameliorate deficits in his community. Food insecurity, inequitable resource allocation, and health issues are just a few of the problems Sankofa Farms seeks to address (Matsuoka, 2020). In recent years, community developers have sought to replace the deficit-oriented methods with asset-based community development (ABCD), an approach that focuses on community strengths with special emphasis on social assets, such as individual talent and informal networks (Mathie &amp; Cunningham, 2003). It\u2019s important to recognize that ABCD is designed as an alternative approach for external actors. Bell is a part of the community he seeks to help, which helps him avoid some of the major pitfalls typically associated with the deficiency model. An approach that focuses on community needs often generates dependency on services (Kretzmann &amp; McKnight, 1996). While Bell hopes Sankofa Farms provides assistance to his community, he also sees his work as a story of resiliency and a model for others trying to do similar community development work (K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020). By maintaining a strong focus on education and skill-building, Sankofa Farms is able to build capacity in the community while also addressing a need without creating the sense of dependency that can undermine community empowerment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_191\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-191\" style=\"width: 316px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-191 \" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Picture1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"316\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Picture1.png 468w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/Picture1-240x300.png 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 316px) 100vw, 316px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-191\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(<em>Sankofa Farms, 2020b)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms is a dual effort operation. On the farm itself, students receive hands-on experience growing produce, beekeeping, and tending to livestock, while in the classroom, the organization&#8217;s Agricultural Academy offers students additional STEM knowledge (Matsuoka, 2020). Sankofa Farms\u2019 educational process, however, is not just about providing new knowledge. As Bell says, the \u201conly thing [he] provides is a space\u201d (The News &amp; Observer, 2020). Students are there because they want to be, and he gives them the chance to develop their own ideas around nutrition, skills, and goals. The farm centers learning around resolving community issues that aren\u2019t addressed through traditional education, while also creating an environment that encourages positive behavioral changes in students (US, 2018).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The work done by students encourages them to realize their own autonomy and use it to both help their community and determine their individual paths in life. Exposing them to their own land and to nature while incorporating traditional African agriculture helps combat the societal impacts on their lives stemming from the treatment of minorities and the conditions of living in a food desert. By teaching boys about simple, traditional ways to farm, Bell puts power back into their hands to help bring fresh produce to their food scarce communities. Additionally, the agricultural skills learned on the farm require relatively little outside capacity\/material, so that students and their communities feel empowered to improve their health without reliance on too many outside supplies or institutions (US, 2018). The incorporation of African agriculture increases the idea of community power lying in ancestral traditions, and the independence involved in the boys\u2019 work helps build confidence and self-reliance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exposing students to a more hands-on approach to learning STEM allows for the broadening of their professional perspectives and has encouraged participants in the program to expand their idea of which professional fields Black boys can pursue outside of those that society pushes them toward. As Bell says, the farm exposes Black youth \u201cto the possibilities of agriculture,\u201d versus society\u2019s traditional push for them to enter the athletic and music industries. This in turn increases the power and autonomy of the Black community (K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020). At the Academy, Bell focuses on building leadership and teamwork skills with the boys, helping them to improve their behavior and chance of success both in and outside of school. The Academy also helps improve the longevity of the program itself &#8211; it \u201cteaches transferable skills to future generations\u201d (K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020). The positive impacts on the boys\u2019 self-images, behavior, and skills help improve their chances of positively contributing to their communities and themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell\u2019s greatest success through this program seems to come from the way he views and has framed it. He is quick to point out that the work done through Sankofa is no more thanks to him than it is to his students &#8211; they have equal ownership of the farm. He views Sankofa as a way to amplify Black youths\u2019 voices and expand their possibilities, and he uses tactics that show them their individual power to do so. Additionally, Bell states that he doesn\u2019t believe \u201cone time-service is effective,\u201d a mindset that allows him to put more effort into small group learning to create more concrete and lasting change (K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_189\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-189\" style=\"width: 407px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-189 \" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"407\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001.jpg 960w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001-520x347.jpg 520w, https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/files\/2020\/11\/image001-740x493.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>(Sankofa Farms, 2019)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to providing fresh produce such as romaine lettuce and seasonal root vegetables to Communities in Partnership and other organizations that distribute to food deserts in the Durham area, Sankofa Farm has had a direct impact on the lives of a cohort of young Black men in the Durham area. The Agricultural Academy uplifts these young men by providing a safe communal space on the farm for them to gain new skills, put them to practice growing their own produce and beekeeping, and through that process become self-sufficient, confident problem solvers. As one student Kamoni articulated, he sees his work at Sankofa and the knowledge he has gained from the Agricultural Academy as a way to \u201cbreak the generational poverty in the African American community\u201d (The Atlantic Festival, 2019). These young men in turn have an impact on their community in that they see themselves as an asset &#8212; as providers for their families (bringing their produce home),\u00a0 empowered to access economic opportunity through farming, and as valuable variables in the sustainability equation as they envision their future careers in Agriculture or the STEM field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell is most proud of amplifying and celebrating his student\u2019s voices at the Agricultural Academy. \u201cThe farm is more so a tool in that the students come into their process of self-discovery by being at the farm\u2026that\u2019s what I think happens when <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Black<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> people have spaces where we can be <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Black<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, that we can appreciate our Blackness.\u201d (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">) The first two graduates of the Agricultural Academy are both pursuing college degrees next year, one in aquaculture (with aspirations of a masters degree in marine biology) and the other in horticulture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell sees the impact of Sankofa Farms reverberating through the generations in the Durham Black community, as the farm grows and provides more fresh produce for food deserts, and as the graduates of the Agricultural Academy grow and help solve the root of the food scarcity problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u201cYou can create your own Sankofa. That\u2019s what I want people to know. Once they\u2019ve pulled out an issue in the community, they can take up the means to solve it themselves, and not have to wait on another institution to solve the issue for them.\u201d (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">K. Bell, personal communication, September 30, 2020<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through Bell\u2019s work, or, as he would more likely say, through his students\u2019 own work, participants are empowered to feel successful, change their perspectives, and make a difference without relying on societal structures that have historically failed their communities. Bell is a firm believer that everyone receives help in life. He doesn\u2019t see Sankofa Farms as charity, but rather as his duty to give back to the larger Black community.\u00a0 He has certainly created an organization to be proud of and that creates lasting impacts, and our team is excited to continue following Bell\u2019s journey as he continues to expand his work on the farm and in the Academy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the Sankofa Farms <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sankofafarmsllc.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, you can see interviews with Kamal Bell and other updates about the farm. The website has a shop, to buy farm produce and apparel, and a \u2018Book Online\u2019 page where you can purchase consultation time with Kamal Bell, online beekeeping lessons, and farm tours! You can stay up to date with daily life on the farm through Sankofa\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SankofaFarmsLLC\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FaceBook <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sankofafarms\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">accounts. Sankofa Farms also has a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCGjaIC-uvT9fXfgCn6pO-jA\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube channel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with educational videos featuring Kamal Bell talking about beekeeping, farming, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>References<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2020Q1-Q2 | State unemployment by race and ethnicity<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (n.d.). Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epi.org\/indicators\/state-unemployment-race-ethnicity\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.epi.org\/indicators\/state-unemployment-race-ethnicity\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2012 Census of Agriculture Highlights (No. 12\u201310). (2014). United States Department of Agriculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service. https:\/\/www.nass.usda.gov\/Publications\/Highlights\/2014\/Highlights_Black_Farmers.pdf<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell, K. (2020, October 1). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Cedar Grove, NC.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell, K. (2020, September 30). Personal Communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell, K. (2018, May 29). Get to Know the Grower: Kamal Bell, Sankofa Farms, Efland, NC. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Medium: Bayer US<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@bayerus\/get-to-know-the-grower-kamal-bell-sankofa-farms-efland-nc-5a4042ce97f2\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/medium.com\/@bayerus\/get-to-know-the-grower-kamal-bell-sankofa-farms-efland-nc-5a4042ce97f2<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cowan, T., &amp; Feder, J. (2013, May). The Pigford Cases: USDA Settlement of Discrimination Suits by Black Farmers (No. 7\u20135700). Congressional Research Service. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">http:\/\/www.nationalaglawcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/assets\/crs\/RS20430.pdf<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dillahunt, A. A. (2019, November 8). Activism and Agriculture: An Interview with Farmer Kamal Bell. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Black Perspectives<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aaihs.org\/activism-and-agriculture-an-interview-with-farmer-kamal-bell\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.aaihs.org\/activism-and-agriculture-an-interview-with-farmer-kamal-bell\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GENERAL STATISTICS PROGRAM N.C.\u2019S RANK IN U.S. AGRICULTURE FARM REAL ESTATE VALUES FARM NUMBERS WEATHER AND CLIMATE SOIL MOISTURE. (2018). USDA\u2019s National Agricultural Statistics Service.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gilman, D. F. (2013, September). Examining the Merger of the NFA and FFA (Thesis). Auburn Administration. https:\/\/etd.auburn.edu\/bitstream\/handle\/10415\/3793\/D%20Gilman%20Dissertation%207-22-13.pdf?sequence=2&amp;isAllowed=y<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gripper, A. (2020, May 27). We don\u2019t farm because it\u2019s trendy; we farm as resistance, for healing and sovereignty. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Environmental Health News<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehn.org\/black-farming-food-sovereignty-2645479216.html?rebelltitem=5#rebelltitem5\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.ehn.org\/black-farming-food-sovereignty-2645479216.html?rebelltitem=5#rebelltitem5<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS: Opening doors to healthy food in North Carolina. (2013). The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.chlpi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/PATHS_NC_Healthy-Food-Access-Fact-Sheet-Final.pdf<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kretzmann, J., &amp; McKnight, J. P. (1996). Assets-based community development. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Civic Review<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">85<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(4), 23+.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maathai, W. (2004, November). The Cracked Mirror. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Resurgence Magazine<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">227<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mathie, A., &amp; Cunningham, G. (2003). From clients to citizens: Asset-based Community Development as a strategy for community-driven development. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Development in Practice<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">13<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(5), 474\u2013486.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Matsuoka, S. (2017, March 8). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms Plants Seeds of Empowerment for Black Youth in Durham<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/indyweek.com\/food-and-drink\/news\/sankofa-farms-plants-seeds-empowerment-black-youth-durham\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/indyweek.com\/food-and-drink\/news\/sankofa-farms-plants-seeds-empowerment-black-youth-durham\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mediasmith. (2018, October 22). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Vimeo.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/296545837\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/vimeo.com\/296545837<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NC Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NC DPS: SANKOFA FARMS AGRICULTURAL ACADEMY<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdps.gov\/juvenile-justice\/service-directory\/sankofa-farms-agricultural-academy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.ncdps.gov\/juvenile-justice\/service-directory\/sankofa-farms-agricultural-academy<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New Farmers of America Records, 1929-1965 | University Library. (2016, January 25). IUPUI. http:\/\/www.ulib.iupui.edu\/special\/nfa#:%7E:text=and%20their%20community.-,In%201965%20the%20NFA%20merged%20with%20the%20National%20FFA%20Organization,movement%20in%20Virginia%20around%201927.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">North Carolina Health Data Query System. (2019, November 5). NC SCHS. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/schs.dph.ncdhhs.gov\/interactive\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/schs.dph.ncdhhs.gov\/interactive\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ovedeep, Meghan (2020, June 29). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teenagers Gain Confidence Raising Bees and Growing Crops at North Carolina Farm. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Southern Living.<\/span>https:\/\/www.southernliving.com\/news\/sankofa-farms-nc-kamal-bell<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perry, L. (2020, February 4). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms Is an Education: Five Questions for Kamal Bell<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Edge Effects. https:\/\/edgeeffects.net\/sankofa-farms-is-an-education-five-questions-for-kamal-bell\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Quillin, M. (2019, July 31). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Young African American men raise food, bees and self-confidence at Sankofa Farms<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The News and Observer. https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/state\/north-carolina\/article232687797.html<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rogers, M., &amp; Ryan, R. (2001). The Triple Bottom Line for Sustainable Community Development. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(3), 279\u2013289.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa | Equity and Inclusion<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (n.d.). University of Rochester. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/diversity\/staff\/resourcegroups\/sankofa\/#:%7E:text=The%20word%20Sankofa%20comes%20from,with%20its%20head%20turned%20backward\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/diversity\/staff\/resourcegroups\/sankofa\/#:%7E:text=The%20word%20Sankofa%20comes%20from,with%20its%20head%20turned%20backward<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms [@sankofafarms]. (2020a, August 20). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the last eight weeks Sankofa Farms has been distributing produce boxes to restaurant workers and their families who have been affected by COVID-19. We would like to thank <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/faithfullfarms\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@faithfullfarms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/humbleumbelfarm\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@humbleumbelfarm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for helping us fill these boxes!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> [Instagram photograph]. Retrieved from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CEIdoKnnS-5\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CEIdoKnnS-5\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms [@sankofafarms]. (2020b, June 24). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s National Pollinator Week ?\u00a0 We try our best to incorporate practices that support and protect our pollinators ?\u00a0 Here are ways you can help. Create a pollinator friendly habitat. Increase green spaces. Minimize urbanization.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> [Instagram photograph]. Retrieved from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CB1XkNDnnix\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CB1XkNDnnix\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms [@sankofafarms]. (2019, September 26). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We took the stage yesterday! Kamoni and Kamron did an amazing job! Their introduction to the nation was very special! <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/sankofa\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#Sankofa<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/theatlanticfest\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#TheAtlanticFest<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/bayer4theatlantic\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#bayer4theatlantic<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/durham\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#durham<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/honeybees\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#Honeybees<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/urbanbeekeeping\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#urbanbeekeeping<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/beethechange\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#beethechange<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/blackfarmers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#blackfarmers<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/agriculture\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#agriculture<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/education\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#education<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/raleigh\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">#raleigh<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> [Instagram photograph]. Retrieved from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B237Kyvnwa4\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B237Kyvnwa4\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy. (n.d.). Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy. Retrieved October 2, 2020, from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sankofafarmsllc.com\/sankofa-farms-agricultural-academy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.sankofafarmsllc.com\/sankofa-farms-agricultural-academy<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stasio, Frank and Dana Terry (2020, July 7). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NC Teens Grow Food, Faith and Focus on Cedar Grove Farm. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WUNC 91.5 North Carolina Public Radio. <\/span>https:\/\/www.wunc.org\/post\/nc-teens-grow-food-faith-and-focus-cedar-grove-farm-0<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Atlantic Festival. (2019). Bayer Presents: A New Crop of Farmers [YouTube Video]. In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?time_continue=128&amp;v=DDFr7IokkKQ&amp;feature=emb_logo\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?time_continue=128&amp;v=DDFr7IokkKQ&amp;feature=emb_logo<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tippett, R. (2019, December 5). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2018 County Population Estimates: Race &amp; Ethnicity<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Carolina Demography. https:\/\/www.ncdemography.org\/2019\/12\/05\/2018-county-population-estimates-race-ethnicity\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Us, B. (2018, May 29). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Get to Know the Grower: Kamal Bell, Sankofa Farms, Efland, NC<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Medium. https:\/\/medium.com\/@bayerus\/get-to-know-the-grower-kamal-bell-sankofa-farms-efland-nc-5a4042ce97f2<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Durham County, North Carolina<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (n.d.). Census Bureau QuickFacts. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/durhamcountynorthcarolina\/PST045219<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">USDA ERS &#8211; Go to the Atlas<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (2020, September 26). United States Department of Agriculture. https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/food-environment-atlas\/go-to-the-atlas.aspx#.UwUkWfZDFx0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">White, M. (2020, February 13). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Savi Horne: Land Justice, Food Justice &amp; Fighting Black Land Loss<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Edge Effects. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/edgeeffects.net\/savi-horne\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/edgeeffects.net\/savi-horne\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Founded in 2016 by Kamal Bell, Sankofa Farms is a 12-acre farm in Cedar Grove, NC that educates young Black men about agriculture and helps them to become agents of change. Sankofa also supplies food<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/2020\/11\/14\/sankofa-farms-putting-down-resilient-roots-to-grow-a-more-secure-future\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":822,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[20],"class_list":["post-183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/822"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":217,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183\/revisions\/217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/cbem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}