If you’re looking for a Black Woman-Owned Farm in Charlotte, NC, look no further than Mother’s Finest Urban Farm. We caught up with the owner, Samantha Foxx to find out more about how she and her business are doing these days.
What inspired you to start a farm?
I was inspired to get back in touch with nature after realizing the importance of self-sufficiency for me and my family. I think growing your food is a major step to having better health as families and an entire community.
Also, the aspects of self-sufficiency and having a good understanding of where our food comes from is so key. Working and learning together helps us create solutions that will decolonize our health and preserve our lives.
How has the Coronavirus outbreak affected your business?
We’ve been busy! I’m seeing more people grabbing hold of the messages I have been spreading since I started. People are investing more into their local farmers and seeing food as a source of wellness and having access to fresh quality produce is becoming more relevant.
We are working hard daily, to make sure that our community has access to quality produce. The beauty of supporting small family-owned farms is that in most cases there is only one set of hands that touches the food before it goes to your table.
Larger agriculture producers can travel for long periods and produce passes through several hands before it hits store shelves. We also have had more people signing up for CSA shares and investing to help us expand and supply as much produce to our community as possible.
Essentially, I believe farming is a community-centered task and I am happy to see more people becoming involved. Some individuals may not have space to plant or grow their food, but a CSA share is a good way to still have that access for their family to quality products and more.
How has it affected your lifestyle?
We are now essential workers, so stepping up to keep our community healthy has become a daily driving force. We have been adding beehives and more chickens in hopes of increasing production and getting more food on people’s tables. It’s a big responsibility and a lot of work, but passion gets us through it each day.
Food is comforting to many people and knowing where their next meal is coming from is so important. Seeing the smiles on a family’s face, when we drop off a box to their doorstep is worth all of the hard work.
That family has a healthy meal and at least one less worry during this trying time. That’s a beautiful thing. We need each other, now more than ever as we hope more people see the importance of planting seeds.
What new strategies have you implemented or do you plan to implement in your business?
We have been using technology more to communicate with our supporters and have added delivery for seniors and families that may be taking care of someone with disabilities. We believe this is a huge part of our social responsibility and helping those that may be more at risk as much as possible.
I’ve started sharing more informational videos on beekeeping and farming to encourage others. I have also started to share more recipes on how to cook with the produce we offer and encourage other families to try new ways to eat healthy balanced meals.
If you had one ask of your community right now, what would it be?
They can also visit www.mothersfinesturbanfarms.com or IG @mothersfinesturbanfarms to learn more and how they can get involved. Also, I encourage families to create seed banks and start with what they have to produce the food they eat as a family themselves. I hope to see more families, becoming as self-sufficient as possible.
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Feature Image by Christine Rucker /IG@christinerucker
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