Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing “Sowing Change” series about urban farming.
For Bobby and Derravia Rich, their passion project started with a single backyard garden.
While attending the master gardener program at the University of Tennessee Extension, Bobby Rich decided to apply what he was learning right at home in Memphis. What began as rows of collards and tomatoes given away to neighbors quickly grew into something deeper: a calling.
As the harvests grew, so did the couple’s desire to share the bounty by giving away fresh produce to neighbors who had little access to healthy food. The couple eventually formalized their mission by founding Black Seeds Urban Farms, a nonprofit dedicated to creating gardens, educating the next generation of farmers and providing free produce in the heart of the Upper Memphis food desert.
Theirs is just one story of a growing urban farming movement across Tennessee. From Nashville to Chattanooga, a new crop of farmers is transforming vacant lots into thriving green spaces that feed, teach and heal. These farms are not only growing vegetables, they’re cultivating community, resilience and a more equitable food future.
While Memphis’ Black Seeds Urban Farm is cultivating Black food sovereignty and youth empowerment, near Nashville, Ruby’s Happy Farm continues a three-generation legacy by hosting cultural events and farm-based workshops, and Chattanooga’s Crabtree Farms brings sustainable agriculture and environmental education to the forefront.
Black Seeds Urban Farms
In the heart of Memphis, Bobby and Derravia Rich and their Black Seeds Urban Farms are reclaiming food, land and identity. What started as a backyard garden has grown into a nonprofit focused on Black food sovereignty, youth education and community resilience.
“We’re part of a farm-ly,” Derravia Rich says of their many farm friends. And what sets the organization apart, she says, is that “we don’t just grow food, we grow people.”
“We engage in the community, and we’re about putting the ‘commune’ back into community” she says. “We are a space that we created for Memphians to not just get fresh food, but to come and enjoy our farm space … because we are tackling many issues, not just food insecurity, and are focused on community engagement and community building.”
Many people are disconnected from the land, she says, especially people in underserved areas such as their community in Uptown Memphis.
“We are a tight-knit group of local farmers,” Bobby Rich says, “and thus the name ‘Black Seeds.’ We started off growing fresh food but realized that food justice is just one small nuance of the needs of the community.”
Giving away free food, the couple began building relationships with the people around them, he says. Though the couple are millennials, they began speaking with neighbors in their 40s, 70s and 80s. With the older generations, Bobby Rich says he’s not so much the teacher as the student; then he passes this knowledge down to younger generations.
“Black Seeds became this space where we grow food, where we share those kinds of inter-generational stories and we make that intergenerational connection,” he says. “While the young kids are uninhibited, the older people have wisdom; so, we wanted to connect those two things together, and it’s been beautiful to see that happen.”
Bobby Rich works as a farm manager, managing a larger space than the small lots they have at Black Seeds Farm, he says.
“With Black Seeds, we take over blighted lots of land. We turn residential lots into a production space for food, but also community spaces where people can come and feel safe,” he explains. “A lot of kids volunteer and help us. With more funds, our goal is to get where these kids can support themselves in this work. Giving these kids something to do is a way to truly give them something [for the future].”
Ruby’s Happy Farm
Just outside Nashville, Ruby’s Happy Farm is more than a place to grow produce, says Ashley Brooks, president; “It’s a living legacy.” Founded by a third-generation Black farmer, the farm blends hands-on education, cultural heritage and community events like Juneteenth celebrations and farm workshops. Here, agritourism meets ancestry, offering a space for healing, learning and reconnecting with the land, Brooks says.
Ruby’s Happy Farm is an 11-acre microfarm established in 1958 by Brooks’ great-grandparents. In 2019, Brooks transformed it into an agritourism destination, blending public health with agriculture. The farm hosts events like the Feel Good Festival, which educates on Juneteenth and agriculture, and the Happy Camper Farm Fest for teenagers. They also organize the She Grows event for women in agriculture.
Despite challenges from droughts and wildlife, the farm grows various crops and uses regenerative techniques. Community partnerships, including with Tennessee State University, are strong, Brooks says, and plans include building an event space funded through a GoFundMe campaign.
“It’s important to know how food is made, because we put that in and on our skin,” she says. “So, we merged the two disciplines of agriculture and knowledge, and that’s how I reimagined the farm.”
Educating the next generation of farmers is crucial, Brooks says, and the Happy Camper Farm Fest focuses on teenagers from aged 13 to 17.
“Young kids think farming is just hard work and labor-intensive, not fun,” she adds. The camp aims to change that perception. After a short film on ag education, Brooks says the teens pitch their tents and camp out. The next day, experts join them from the extension office to lead demonstrations with building beds and putting seeds into the ground.
Of agritourism and the experiences she offers at the farm, Brooks says it’s an opportunity for others to connect with the land.
“When you live in the suburbs, you don’t even realize what it’s like being immersed in nature and having the animals and crops around you. It’s a totally different experience for some,” she says.
Crabtree Farms
A staple of Chattanooga’s urban farming scene for over two decades, Crabtree Farms is a hub for sustainable agriculture and environmental education. From school programs to seasonal markets, the farm weaves food production with community learning, promoting a healthier local food system while nurturing the next generation of growers and stewards.
Nestled in the heart of the beautiful Clifton Hills neighborhood, just outside of downtown Chattanooga, this 22-acre urban farm has been a beacon of sustainable farming practices and a hub for community development since its inception.
Crabtree’s unique approach to urban farming and community building was seeded in 1998 through an innovative partnership between local visionaries and the city of Chattanooga. Today, Crabtree Farms is a thriving, multifaceted organization that encompasses not only sustainable agriculture but also educational programs, community outreach and a commitment to environmental stewardship.
Lena Banks, interim executive director of Crabtree Farms, says the farm offers various educational programs, including adult workshops, youth field trips and work-share programs, benefiting around 1,000 students annually. The farm also maintains 38 community garden beds, 16 of which are free, and donated over 7,000 pounds of food last year.
Of the farm’s impact on the community and its plans moving forward after 27 years, Banks says, “[The farm] tried a lot of different models over the years. We were really production-focused and production-heavy and helped establish the local food and local farmer scene in Chattanooga. Now that is well established, we’re focusing on being a useful and impactful community asset, especially to the folks living in south Chattanooga.”
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