SAAFON is the first, and still the only, regional network for Black farmers committed to using ecologically sustainable practices to manage their land and the natural systems on it in order to grow food and raise livestock that are healthy for people and the planet. Many of our farms have been in the same Black family for over 100 years and, as such, are historical treasures. Click below to learn more about SAAFON farmers.
SAAFON’s higher calling is to seek the liberation and empowerment of Black people through agricultural, food, and land-based strategies. We promote agricultural production and land management practices that are rooted in indigenous ways of knowing that span geographies, space and time. We recognize, honor and uplift the ways of our ancestors and ask for their guidance as we show how Black agrarianism offers solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our communities. The SAAFON network allows our members to connect with like-minded farmers, to build collective power in order to achieve our visions of land-based success, and to model alternative ways of living in the 21st century. Click below to learn more about how we work with farmers.
Our Farmer Network is made up of small and heritage Black farmers in the Southeastern United States who practice ecologically sustainable production methods. The farmers in our network are thinking beyond their work of growing food, and are incorporating innovative programs that speak to the broad-based and integrated needs of their communities. We have a legacy of successful Black farmers.
"[Black farmers] work in a way we’ve forgotten. Their faith is so strong - and I don’t mean religious faith. They put a seed in a piece of dirt and have faith it’s gonna grow and pay the bills. I look at them and say, ‘You’re amazing.’"
“If I am my ancestors’ dream, then what would they say about how I am moving in the world today?”
SAAFON’s work covers the southeastern United States – Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Louisiana and the US Virgin Islands.