“As early as the 1960s and 1970s, deep in the heart of Alabama, the concept of community supported agriculture was developing as the brainchild of Booker T. Whatley, a pioneer of sustainable agriculture.”

Booker T. Whatley was born in 1915 in Anniston, Alabama.  He grew up when there were nearly one million black farmers. He watched as black farms began to decline and family farms struggled to compete. He studied agriculture at Alabama A&M University, then, he served in the Korean War and was assigned a 55-acre hydroponic farm to provide food for the troops. He returned for a doctorate in horticulture and began his career at Tuskegee University.  

He “advocated for regenerative farming, a sustainable and organic farming method that focuses on regenerating soil and maximizing biodiversity, and is a method that can be traced back to another Tuskegee legend, Dr. George Washington Carver. But Dr. Whatley also strongly believed in regenerating farmer livelihoods through direct marketing, and he began advocating for Pick Your Own farms and what he called Clientele Membership Clubs.”

Bowens, Natasha. Mother Earth News. CSA Is Rooted in Black History. February, 13, 2015https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/csas-rooted-in-black-history-zbcz1502

Reposted from Feb 14, 2015 11:14am Facebook Post