For generations, Black and Indigenous Americans have been disproportionately removed from direct connections to communities being cultivated through small-scale, localized food production, and the ramifications extend to nearly every other pillar of human well-being. In this talk, Von tells the story of discovering his family’s legacy of working the land while building community. His family’s story has inspired him to launch Kentuckiana Backyard Farms, an organization with the goal of changing the narrative around agriculture. He aims to restore people’s relationships to homegrown foods and improve access for those who need it most, thereby cultivating a community of #1000BackyardFarmers.
Urban Farmer Von Barnes moved to Louisville from Central Florida, where he had learned about growing root vegetables and native tropical fruits. While in Florida, he earned a bachelor’s in mass communication with a minor in marketing and electronic music. After spending a little over a decade in multimedia production at the University of Louisville, he turned his passion for gardening and husbandry into Kentuckiana Backyard Farms. His urban farm focuses on food production and distribution, wellness and education, and agritourism. Currently, he is on the Food in Neighborhoods Steering Committee and Jefferson County Ag Development Board. Additionally, Barnes works with Community Farm Alliance as producer and host of the “Blacker Berries” podcast series. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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