Community Partner : Black Church Food Security Network Intern : Neetika Rastogi Site Supervisor : Namita Money
What is the Black Church Food Security Network ?
The Black Church Food Security Network is an association of congregations , farmers , food advocates , and community activists working together to create an alternative food system in the Baltimore metropolitan area .
The Black Church Food Security Network leverages the assets of historically African American churches to support Black farmers . During my internship , I supported the operations of the inaugural year of BCFSN ' s Black Church Supported Agriculture program ( BCSA ). BCSA allows congregations to buy wholesale from Black farmers -- we provide the necessary infrastructure for farmers in our network to sell to markets they otherwise may not have been able to access . We hope to create a community-led food system by advancing Black food and land sovereignty ; one that utilizes local assets and place-specific knowledge as opposed to relying on large , often exploitative and environmentally harmful corporations .
Throughout my internship , I ' ve learned so much about food systems : previously , I had never thought of the complex array of economic , social , and scientific activities that underlie our consumption . The unfair lending practices of the USDA , land grabbing , and the enormous debt that Black farmers have had to historically take on devastates families for entire generations : this is why the work of BCFSN is instrumental to not only getting communities access to fresh produce , but also to empowering farmers that have been excluded from this country ' s agricultural fabric for too long .
What has been most valuable about my internship experience , however , is getting an in-depth look at the work of activists on the ground . One day , my supervisor and I may be transporting a truckload of produce from a farm and transporting it to a local congregation . Some days , we spend hours on Zoom , reading about worker-owned food cooperatives and dreaming about solidarity economies . Other days , we may spend an afternoon helping a local congregation launch a garden on their land .
Often , this day-to-day work can feel slow . Sometimes frustrating . Is selling a few watermelons on Belvedere Square or planting a few soybeans and pea plants at a small church in Baltimore really bringing about justice for Black farmers or defeating Nestle or Monsanto ? Despite my frustrations , I ultimately think it does and it will . But it requires a long and sustained effort from passionate people that are committed to keeping the web of small-scale food producers afloat in the face of exploitative and unfettered agribusiness . Using the social capital , infrastructure , and organizing power of the Black church is one way to do this , and seeing it in action has only motivated me to keep going . I hope this internship experience is just the first step to a lifelong commitment to food justice and ending food apartheid in a city I have come to love even more this past summer .
Designed and implemented a social media campaign to uplift Black farmers in our network and advocate for policies that provide debt relief and create land grant programs for Black farmers Supported the formation of a wholesale foodsupply chain between small , Black-owned farms and historically Black churches through our Black Church Supported Agriculture ( BCSA ) program Coordinated volunteers interested in supporting our BCSA program
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