Help A Young Black Farmer Create OlaLekan Farm

My name is Tolu Igun, and I am raising funds to start OlaLekan Farm in 2023. I live in Washington, D.C., farm in Prince George's County, MD, and am a proud part of the next generation of young Black farmers in America.

Young farmers need secure land access to feed our communities for generations to come. The average age of a farmer is 57 and rising. But the top barriers to entry for young and beginning farmers are land access and access to capital which has resulted in many leaving the agriculture industry.

What is OlaLekan Farm?

OlaLekan Farm will be launched on half an acre of rented land where I'll primarily grow vegetables, fruits and herbs for the Washington Metropolitan area. My intention is to produce foods that are accessible and affordable, healthy and nutritious, and reflective of the current cultures and needs of the people in this region. I will prioritize regenerative agriculture techniques aligned with Certified Naturally Grown standards at OlaLekan Farm. The farm will provide opportunities for food access and education through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), wholesale and mutual aid distributions, seedling sales, and hands-on volunteering and workshops focused on how to grow your own food.

I'm raising funds to be able to…

☆ rent half an acre of land through a local farm incubator program

☆ purchase necessary farm tools and equipment such as irrigation, storage, soil amendments, pest management

☆ purchase seeds and seedling supplies

☆ develop an accessible and affordable food access model that is mutually beneficial to everyone involved

☆ create an emergency fund for health, climate and community crisis during my first year on the farm

☆ invest in practices that will allow me to build a self-sustaining farm business long-term

More about Farmer Tolu and OlaLekan Farm

I, Farmer Tolu, was first introduced to the urban agriculture movement in 2013 in Detroit where I was born. But it wasn't until 2020 that I wholeheartedly committed to a career in farming after moving to the nation's capital. According to The Capital Area Food Bank's annual report, over 1.2 million people experienced food insecurity in the past year, including nearly half of Prince George’s County households. This reality has motivated me to distribute, grow and have the most wonderful conversations about food with the DMV community and I hope to continue to do so for years to come. During the 2023 growing season, in addition to operating OlaLekan Farm, I will be a coordinator for ECO City Farms Beginning Farmer Training Program working with a cohort of approximately 25 aspiring farmers.

I am also a Land Advocacy Fellow with the National Young Farmers Coalition. As a collective, we are working together to advocate for more fair, equitable and just policies for the 2023 Farm Bill. I am constantly striving to be the best regenerative farmer and land steward I can possibly be, and welcome anyone from the community to become a part of this journey.

OlaLekan Farm is named in honor of my maternal grandparents: Lalekan and Olabisi. The meaning behind the name Lalekan heavily aligns with the life my late grandfather lived as an agronomist, businessman, and leader in his community. Lalekan (Lekan) roughly translated to English means addition of wealth. The first half of the word OlaLekan stems from my grandmother's name, Olabisi. She is an educator, writer, caregiver, and community leader in her own right. The Yoruba name Olabisi means the addition of joy and honor have increased. Therefore, at OlaLekan Farm, the addition of honor, joy and wealth will occur for all who become a part of this community.

Building OlaLekan Farm is not only a return to myself, my heritage and my ancestry as a child of Nigerian immigrants. For me, starting this farm endeavor is the best way I know to resolve food insecurity at this moment while building the happy, healthy, sustainable world I hope to live in one day.

To learn more about my journey, read my story on Not Our Farm: https://notourfarm.org/2022/08/28/tolu-igun-she-they/.

To understand more about the barriers emerging farmers face, check out The National Young Farmer Survey: https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NationalSurveyReport22-1.pdf.