To celebrate Black History Month, we honor Dr. Booker T. Whatley, an Alabama Tuskegee Institute professor and one of the original pioneers behind community-supported agriculture (CSA).

Growing up on his family's farm, Whatley witnessed first-hand as the number of black-owned farms declined and those that remained struggled to keep up with industrialization. 

His life’s passion became advocating for a “smaller and smarter” way of cultivating the land that utilized regenerative agriculture and innovative marketing strategies to help keep small farms alive. His “Clientele Membership Club” and “Pick Your Own” concepts encouraged the community to build a relationship with their food and its growers, and gave the producers security in a rapidly changing world.

Inspired by Dr. Whatley’s life’s work, Farm To People strives to empower sustainable farms by providing a platform connecting them to New Yorkers dedicated to supporting them. Through crop planning and open communication about the purchasing trends we’re seeing, we’re able to help alleviate financial and operational stress on our small farm partners practicing regenerative agriculture.