Africulture is a nonprofit that helps farmers improve farming practices to increase their yields, markets, and sustainability. The organization highlights, explores, teaches, and enhances the principles, practices, plants and people of African descent that have contributed to agriculture, providing outreach and training to racial and ethnic groups in Virginia and throughout the country.
Africulture conducts technical assistance in business and operation management for farmers and landowners with a focus on marketing for the agriculture industry for historically underserved farmers in their communities. One of the organization’s objectives are to provide support to new, beginning, veteran, historically underserved and marginalized farmers and guide them through USDA opportunities and programs as well as assist with technical language translation while connecting them with conservation professionals within various agencies and organizations.
Africulture since it’s inception has seen a marked increase in the participation of underserved farmers in USDA programs and services. Their efforts have also resulted in the successful formation of farmer cooperatives and greater participation in farm conferences.
One noteworthy collaboration is a partnership with Aramark Corporation and the University of Virginia to create a Black Farmer Fund and local farmer/small farmer/minority farmer pipeline to assist University of Virginia in attaining their sustainability goals. This initiative has provided a platform for Black farmers, specifically, in addition to other local small scale farmers to find better markets and improve their profitability. Through this fund, Africulture has demonstrated its commitment to enhancing the economic stability of underserved farmers.
To honor and celebrate the contributions that African Americans have made to agriculture, Africulture organizes Juneteenth activities at their farm each year, highlighting the role of African Americans in Virginia’s agricultural legacy.
The organization plans to improve its outreach programs, ensuring that more underserved, beginner, veteran and small farmers and individuals interested in agriculture can benefit from their resources. Africulture continues to expand their partnerships with USDA, universities, corporations, and community organizations, as well as conduct research to support climate smart applications that are solution orientated.
The organization’s future initiatives include raising awareness of its collaborative partnership with NRCS to promote NRCS programs and services. Africulture hopes to grow the interest of beginning farmers, veterans, and socially disadvantaged farmers, leading to increased representation and participation of minority farmers, thereby diversifying the industry and creating opportunities for economic growth among underserved communities.
Africulture is the organization that leads and administers the sister city relationship between Fredericksburg, Virginia and Princes Town, Ghana.