Episode 22: Michelle Akindiya of Farmshare Austin

“We are fiercely collaborative… the more as a community of farmers we can supply the needs to the community, the more the community is going to turn to local farmers. It is a regenerative process…

“ It is very hard to start farming if you don’t come from privilege, if you don’t have those financial resources or social safety net and that’s a huge barrier, especially for people of color, to get into farming. That’s really something we need to figure out as a society, how to fix that.”

From https://www.farmshareaustin.org : Michelle Akindiya caught the farming bug in 2005 when she left a theatre career in Chicago for an internship on a farm in Southern Wisconsin. She continued her farmer training with Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) and the Michael Fields Institute, while managing a CSA farm and vineyard outside of Chicago. Returning to Austin in 2009, she worked with Gabriel Valley Farms and managed the urban farms at the Monument Cafe in Georgetown,TX. Michelle loves the endless learning opportunities inherent to farming, and she loves to share her passion for sustainable growing with the community and is excited to nurture a new crop of farmers. The mission of Farmshare Austin is to grow a healthy local food community by increasing food access, teaching new farmers and preserving farmland. With the help of there supporters, Farmshare Austin has begun to make a visible impact in the greater Austin area: The Farmer Starter class is full of dynamic students poised to become the next generation of organic farmers. Fresh for Less Mobile Markets and Curbside Delivery are bringing affordable, fresh, healthy food to Austin and Travis County. Farmshare Land Link connects landowners with growers & farmers looking for land.

Donate: https://www.farmshareaustin.org/support

Please note: The Checkout Host and Co-Founder Errol Schweizer was a Board Member of Farmshare Austin from 2014-2017, and is still a big fan.

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Episode #22 Notes

1:00 - How did you get interested in Organic farming?

4:00 - What’s the mission of Farmshare Austin?

5:45 - What are the main program areas around farmer training?

7:15 - How do you teach, and what do your graduates go on to do?

11:00 - What can you grow in Central Texas, and what are the challenges?

13:15 - Tell us about your work in food access?

21:00 - What has been the response to this work?

23:00 - How are your programs funded?

26:45 - What is your vision for the regional food systems in Central Texas?

31:00 - How is Farmshare’s work replicable in other areas?

34:00 - Suggested readings?

One Straw Revolution, Masanobu Fukuoka

**Note: SNAP and Double Dollars account for 25% of total sales, rather than 20% as stated in this interview.