Farm Credit Mid-America has announced it will donate $200,000 to Black Soil KY, an agritourism social enterprise that fosters a greater market share for Black farmers in Kentucky.
According to a news release, this four-year partnership will support agricultural education and diversity initiatives across the Commonwealth, including Lexington, Louisville and Hopkinsville.
The investment will be paid out over four years in $50,000 installments and will support initiatives such as the Urban High Tunnel Project—grants will support a collaboration between Black Soil, Grow Appalachia and Seedleaf to construct and install forty-eight urban micro-farms across Hopkinsville, Lexington and West Louisville. These micro-farms will cultivate organic seasonal produce in market gardens in efforts to decrease residential food insecurity, increase specialty crop input into the local food system and cultivate new and beginning farmers.
It will also pay for “grow kits” that are at-home garden kits to allow families to learn how to grow their own food while nurturing an interest in urban gardening and agriculture. The investment will support the distribution of two hundred Grow Kits to middle and high school students throughout Kentucky, including Hopkinsville.
Farm Credit Mid-America will also continue to engage with Black Soil Kentucky over the next four years through a variety of programs and volunteer opportunities.