Nationwide — Shelton Muhammad and his sons, Yusuf and Talib, the family behind Muhammad Family Farm in Southampton County, Virginia, are raising $200,000 to launch an agricultural training and employment initiative for Black men and youth. Through the initiative, the family hopes to use agriculture to create jobs and economic opportunities, lessen crime, improve access to healthy food, and help other Black farmers sustain their farms.
The Muhammad family’s connection to their 92.1-acre farm began in 2010 after they moved back to Virginia from North Carolina. The Black family that previously owned the property wanted the farmland to remain in Black hands and chose to sell it to the Muhammads. Today, the farm grows muscadine grapes used for products such as jelly and juice, along with tomatoes, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, cayenne peppers, okra, broccoli, and various herbs. For Shelton and his sons, however, the land represents more than a place to grow food — they believe it can also be used to create jobs, develop businesses, and build generational wealth.
Shelton comments, “When Black men and youth are unemployed and can’t find employment, it forces them to commit survival crimes, sell drugs, guns, or even themselves out of sheer necessity. They may even try to escape their reality by using illicit drugs or excessive drinking of alcohol. Black farmers can play a critical role in helping our community with the employment crisis facing Black men and youth, ending food insecurity, and making our community a decent and safe place to live.”
The family’s mission is centered around three goals: saving Black men and youth by connecting them with meaningful work and economic opportunities; lessening crime while improving the health of Black communities; and helping other Black farmers remain in business. The Muhammads believe unemployment, crime, poor nutrition, and the continuing loss of Black-owned farmland are interconnected challenges. By teaching agricultural production, food processing, marketing, distribution, and sales, they hope to provide participants with practical skills that can lead to employment, entrepreneurship, and greater financial independence.
The initiative will also address access to fresh and affordable food by developing a community-based food system. Rather than relying exclusively on crops grown at Muhammad Family Farm, the family plans to contract with other Black farmers to produce fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products. Those products would then be processed, distributed, marketed, and sold within the community. The Muhammads believe creating a dependable market for Black farmers can generate additional income for participating farms while giving local families greater access to wholesome food.
The $200,000 being raised will be used to provide training stipends for Black men and youth learning production, processing, marketing, and sales; purchase storage equipment and develop a storage facility; provide contracts and deposits to Black farmers to grow products for the program; and establish community-based farm stores for distribution and direct sales. The family believes these investments can create an agricultural network in which Black farmers have reliable customers, young people have opportunities to learn marketable skills, and more dollars circulate within the communities where the food is produced and sold.
Ultimately, Shelton Muhammad and his sons envision Muhammad Family Farm becoming a model for how agriculture can help strengthen Black communities. Their goal is to demonstrate that Black-owned farms can work together to create employment, reduce crime by expanding economic opportunities, improve access to healthy food, preserve Black-owned farmland, and build wealth that can be passed to future generations.
How to support
Those interested in supporting the $200,000 campaign can contribute via Cash App at $sheltonmuhammadfarm, Zelle at 757-556-2381, or by mailing checks payable to Muhammad Family Farm to 33181 The Hall Road, Branchville, VA 23828.
For more information, the family can be reached at muhammadfamilyfarm@gmail.com