Jamila Hubbard is the owner and farmer of Shindig Home and Garden, which sells microgreens at our Tuesday South Berkeley Farmers’ Market. She is our newest Certified Producer and a proud Black woman. In California, 38% of producers are women and 0.36% of California producers identify as Black or African-American.
To realize her dream of being an entrepreneur, Jamila cut her own path. In this interview, she shares her unique experience as a Black urban farmer selling at farmers’ markets.
What inspired you to take up farming?
The magic of growing food is exhilarating. I want to create something beautiful and provide something nourishing to people.
Through reading and watching documentaries, I learned about our food systems and safety, the negative impacts of factory farming, and the medical statistics of Black folks in the US. I came to understand more deeply how our food affects us. And the fact that those in charge of our food systems are more about profits than about improving our health and well-being.
Only 10 multi-national corporations own most food brands in our grocery stores. So many smaller brands get bought out by corporations or private equity firms. And the processes used to grow and manage animals are cruel and dangerous to the communities—many of which are Black, all poor—that surround them. Growing your own food feels like resistance, even though it’s one of the most basic skills that humans have used to survive for thousands of years.
I’ve been lucky to grow up in the Bay Area where fruit trees are abundant, in all sorts of neighborhoods. Growing up, our backyard had a lemon and plum tree. To this day I’ve never eaten a better plum. They were the deepest, darkest purple on the outside, fuchsia on the inside, and you had to lean forward to eat them because they were so juicy. Growing up in suburbs on the edge of the farms still left, we would go get fresh corn off the stalk to eat for dinner minutes later. Growing food connects me more deeply to the rhythms of nature and the history of my ancestors and culture.
When my stepmom was first diagnosed with cancer, my dad gave me the book Anticancer: A New Way of Life. That taught me so much about how food affects our bodies. The more I learned about microgreens, the more interesting they became. Microgreens are a way for me to make a living as an urban farmer even though I don’t have the space to grow mass amounts of produce outdoors. I am able to provide my customers, and community, with one of the healthiest foods out there so we can all thrive.
Why do you sell at farmers’ markets?
The more I sell at farmers’ markets, the more I love them. Farmers’ markets are the first foray into growing an agriculture business. The people in these communities are encouraging and excited to try new things. And I get to be a part of people’s lives. I get to speak directly to my customers and learn how they use microgreens, what they like and don’t like, and how I can best serve their needs.
I also love that farmers’ markets are a way to put our money directly back into our communities rather than buying from companies where the CEO makes 300%+ more than their average worker (sometimes it’s over 6,000:1 of the average median worker pay). I always seek to support local businesses and love talking to the folks who shop at farmers’ markets who are dedicated to shopping locally as well.
The 2022 USDA Farmer Census found that 0.36% of farmers in California identify as Black or African American. What do you think could help improve that statistic?
This is a big question, far beyond my expertise. However, being a Black farmer, I am very interested in learning about the broader landscape of who else is out there and how we can support each other.
Many of the declines in Black farmers stem from decades/centuries of discrimination that continue to this day, especially from that same USDA citing the numbers.
“Despite the USDA’s acknowledgement that it has provided Black farmers with inferior access to loans and services, 3 proposals to pay farmers for past discrimination ‘have languished in controversy and red tape.’” Legal Defense Fund Black Farmers FAQ
The National Black Farmers Association reports that Black people have been systematically excluded from programs that enable farmers to acquire land and build wealth. From what experts and other farmers organizations have said, access to grants and capital for land (not based on debt/credit), education, and communing with others doing the work, can help. Federal, state, and local policies are needed to support Black farmers, both rural and urban.
From my own experience, learning more and more about our food systems and how the folks in charge profit from those systems with no regard for our health and well-being, led me to want to be more self-sufficient.
I would love to see more stories told about the brilliance of Black farmers. We could hear more about the skills Black farmers have learned from our ancestors, and how we are creating a flourishing future for our communities. We could use more agriculture programs in Black schools and neighborhoods so young people understand the power of growing food and self-reliance. We could do more to create experiences and bring communities together around farming and gardening.
I love the idea of supporting organizations that are connecting farming to the broader conversation around social justice, community building, legacy, and heritage. A couple of weeks ago, I was excited to speak with students from a local high school that visited the farmers’ market. They were in a writing class that made all of these connections and seemed so curious and excited to learn.
Jamila, thank you for sharing with us your experience and perspective as a Black woman urban farmer. It’s been wonderful to talk with you.
Dear readers, please be sure to drop by and check out Shindig Home and Garden Sprouts at Tuesday’s South Berkeley Farmers’ Market.
For more information about the Black farming experience, Jamila recommends the following resources:
