By James Matheson

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources hosted an urban agriculturalist via zoom as part of their sustainable food systems lecture series on Tuesday. 

Denzel Mitchell, co-executive director of the Farm Alliance of Baltimore, highlighted his career as a farmer beginning in 2008 in Baltimore, as well as the development of urban agriculture occurring in Baltimore. 

“The thing you can say about me and my work is that I’m passionate and dedicated to access to good food for everybody. I love farmers and want to see more farmers grow and develop and be supported,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell described his role as co-executive director to be “farming with his feet below a desk.” 

He is no longer cultivating the Baltimore Fish Pepper, a crop he helped return to the Chesapeake region’s culinary palette, according to the Farm Alliance of Baltimore. The peppers originated in the Caribbean and have ties to African-American communities in the Baltimore area. Now, Mitchell spends his time developing the next generation of urban farmers through the Black Butterfly Urban Farm Academy. 

The academy is specifically catered towards teaching individuals working with limited farmable land in an urban community, to grow on a micro scale for business and transaction, according to Mitchell. The academy consists of key components: classroom instruction, hands-on work, and field days which allow students to focus on sustainable agriculture. 

It is this academy, and the steps being taken by Mitchell and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore to advance urban farming, which relate to the work being done by the University of Maryland Institute of Applied Agriculture.

The institute offers a two-year associate’s-equivalent program, according to Meredith Epstein, senior lecturer and advisor. Much like programs offered at the Farm Alliance of Baltimore, it is driven by hands-on experience in agriculture and natural resources. 

“Rice, Rubber Bands and Red Peppers” was the title of Mitchell’s talk to the UMIAA.

“For starters, those are kind of the three quintessential aspects that I always end up circling back to when I think about my journey in farming,” Mitchell said.

Each of the three components listed in Mitchell’s talk represents a basic aspect of farming. To Mitchell, rice represents sustenance. It is a staple crop and a foundation in many diets across the globe. Rubber Bands represent the community in Mitchell’s life as an urban farmer. The role rubber bands play in farmer’s markets and harvests across the country are something to be recognized throughout the community, according to Mitchell. Rubber bands are used to connect and bunch crops and goods to one another, a fitting metaphor for the idea of community.

Finally, red peppers depict patience. Peppers turn red after they have completed their ripening process. According to Mitchell, allowing the pepper to develop its flavor and sugar is a test of patience, much like that which surrounds urban farming. 

“We have had several students come through our program who are beginning farmers in Baltimore City,” said Epstein, “So now I plan to work closely with Denzel and the Farm Alliance when we have students from Baltimore City who are interested in urban farming to make sure that they’re getting the benefits of both programs.”

Featured Image: Symons Halls, which houses the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland. Photo from the University of Maryland.