by Lisa Parks
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Who says that African Americans aren’t interested in food sustainability and agricultural policies? Certainly not attendees of the first annual Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference, held in Brooklyn in November 2010.
- Throughout the 20 breakout sessions, participants discussed such topics as health issues that plague urban communities, traditional foodways, maintaining kitchen garden plots and food preservation techniques (CivilEats.com, 2 December 2010).
- Organizers suggested that at the heart of the issues are inadequate food systems. The conference offered opportunities to take action and develop alternatives.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- African American consumers are interested in green jobs, farming and gardening, yet products and services don’t often target them.
- Open community conferences like this one allow concerned citizens the opportunity to voice their needs and identify organizations that can help them.
RESOURCES
