Shaping the Future of CT Agriculture
In respect to Black History Month, we are highlighting some of the Black farmers who help shape the future of Connecticut agriculture everyday.
Did you know that only about two percent of farmers in the United States are Black— making it a predominately White profession? In Connecticut, the ratio is similarly lopsided. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture Weekly Report, from February 2023, states “the last USDA Census of Agriculture in 2017 found just 25 Black farmers responded among Connecticut’s more than 9,500 agricultural producers” (p. 2).
Yet, with these profoundly low numbers, there are still many young Black farmers trying to change the perception of farming by encouraging people of color to make it a career. We were lucky enough to hear from Lauren Little of Lauren Little Edutainment LLC, and this is her story:
Lauren Little is not only an Urban farmer, but also an educator and activist. She knew at a young age how food can unify people and was determined to share the connection between nature and farming.
Having worked in education for over 15 years, her passion for the growing minds of children helped inspire her many accomplished endeavors so far in her career. Some of these accomplishments include: developing youth programs, managing 60 school farm plots, teaching over 6,000 students how to grow food, and feeding more than 300 families in the Greater Hartford area. Lauren has received numerous awards for her dedication and hard work throughout the years including the National Farm to School Network Food Champion Award in 2020 and the Feeding Hartford Award in 2021.
Lauren is most well known for her work with Lauren Little Edutainment LLC. This initiative is designed to “activate imaginations, curiosity, and knowledge about the Earth through storytelling, games, and active learning strategies” (Lauren Little Edutainment, n.d.). It specializes in farming, innovative urban agriculture curriculum, and environmental education for all ages. With a mix of education and entertainment, participants can expect to engage in multiple learning styles from puppetry, to creative exploration of nature.
This initiative started in 2013 when Lauren collaborated with friend Emily Petersen in developing a series of youth programs called Gaia’s Guides that uses anamorphic characters, original stories, songs, and dances to encourage and inspire children’s love for the Earth. Some of the topics incorporated into the Gaia’s Guides curriculum include: growing food, what to eat to feel complete, preserving food, healthy herbs, and more!
It doesn’t stop there though! Lauren Little Edutainment also provides other various services including:
Seed to Salad- a six week program for pre-k and kindergarten where students enjoy a salad that they’ve help build from scratch
Farm Fit- a 5 OR 10 week program that focuses on teaching families how to grow meals together
Gaia’s Guide (as previously mentioned)- a program that teaches students agriculture and encourages them to have a relationship with the Earth
Click here to learn more about the Lauren Little Edutainment LLC curriculum, the different services provided and how you can help support this initiative to help shape the future of CT agriculture.
Also, be sure to check out some of these other Black-owned farms in Connecticut that you can help support:
