Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture
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Agriculture and White Supremacy
Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture (SHBA) is designed to bring about positive, permanent shifts in how we define and understand the ways white supremacy racism impacts our food systems. These shifts are the direct cause for a new kind of freedom and POWER – the freedom to acknowledge and accept our painful history with agriculture, and the personal power to do something about it. Thus, impacting the confidence with which Black people live their lives and feed their families.
Utilizing the framework of Dr. Joy DeGruy’s post-traumatic slave syndrome, Urban Triage’s transformative education model looks at the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that Black people have faced due to the ongoing and persistent trauma associated with existing within the context of white supremacy racism. Our framework focuses on adaptive behaviors that were developed as a result of the trauma – both positive and negative – that have allowed Black people to survive and often even thrive. The design of our framework for SHBA moves Black people from being recipients of services (traditional nonprofits) to individuals with agency, autonomy, and self-efficiency that support and empower their leadership and personal development.
About Our Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture Program
Through advocacy, transformative education, collaboration, and connecting to nature, our Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture (SHBA) workgroups address the root of health disparities and inequalities in our community while providing the space and opportunity for healing for Black families.
SHBA is a leadership workgroup series designed to empower and inspire breakthroughs and transformation in Black communities. Our workgroup teaches the basics of growing your own food as well as the entrepreneurial benefits/opportunities in the agriculture field. Our mission is to bring sustainability back into agriculture while providing bonding time and healing space for Black families and opportunities for community members to learn about agriculture from the Black experience. To make our work more impactful, we dive into the many societal pressures that keep Black people from pursuing agricultural careers such as land access, culturally relevant training, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS), and much more.
SHBA Workgroup - COHORT Details
Our SHBA workgroup inspires and empowers breakthroughs and transformation within Black families. It is a chance for parents and children to learn and grow together through nature, agriculture practices, team building, and healing exercises.
Participants are eligible to receive a garden bed installed at their homes to continue some of the agriculture practices they learn. Whether you own or rent, we have garden bed options for most households, and our staff are available to work with landlords if needed.
There is a $50/week stipend for parents and a $25/week stipend for youth
If you are interested in joining us for our 2026 cohort, please sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook for information.
SHBA Specialty Crop Hemp Workgroup
The Specialty Crop Hemp Program for Black Entrepreneurs is a comprehensive program designed to provide education and support for individuals interested in the hemp industry. This program covers various aspects of hemp cultivation, harvesting, processing, marketing, and business strategy. The program takes place both virtually and at the Farley Center located at 2299 Spring Rose Rd, Verona, WI 53593. Classes are held on Mondays (Zoom) and Thursdays (in-person) from 5:00 - 7 PM. The next cohort will be in June 2026.
Each student accepted into the program will receive a $2,500 grant to support their business venture. To be eligible to receive the grant at the end of the program, students must attend a minimum of 90% of the program sessions and successfully complete all coursework and assignments.
Join our Hemp Specialty Crop Program waitlist here.
Farm Business Development
It is our goal at Urban Triage to support our Black Wisconsin Farmers as they strive to build financially stable wealth-building farm businesses with resources, programming, and support. We hope to lower the barrier to entry for Black Farmers to be successful in agriculture. If you are a Black Farmer or Entrepreneur in Wisconsin looking to improve your Farm Business, click HERE!
GET INVOLVED
Through our Agriculture Programs, we grow and distribute over 5,000 pounds of FREE organic produce to our program participants and community members on a weekly basis. In addition to our focus on food justice, we also educate Black growers on farming techniques and business strategy, creating a healing space to repair the long-disrupted connection to agriculture many Black Americans experience through Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.
By donating to Urban Triage’s Agriculture Programs, you are ensuring we can continue strengthening food access for overlooked communities and create opportunities for education, healing, and Black-led leadership.
Thank you for joining Urban Triage in the food justice movement!
Support Black families in growing their own food while they are learning the techniques of agriculture. Donate supplies from our SHBA Wish List today!
You can drop off listed supplies from Monday-Friday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, at 2312 S. Park St. in Madison, WI 53713.
We need volunteers for our Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture (SHBA) workgroup. As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to work outside this summer and witness growth both in nature and in the families participating in this innovative and rewarding program!
Our Agriculture program is growing every day. Stay informed about what we're doing by signing up for our newsletter.
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