Local Entrepreneur Shows How Urban Farming Can Address Inner-city Food Deserts

Sandwiched cozily between two houses in north Minneapolis, Todd Western IV tends to his crops. It’s the location of Freedom Farms, where he grows Malabar spinach, okra and collard greens, to name a few.

“It became more important to me at that time to use my family’s legacy as Black farmers to grow food here, in a place that needs fresh food,” Western said.

The word “farm” often brings to mind a very specific visual in the Midwest: open pastures, rows of corn and soybeans, a big red barn. That’s similar to what the Western family’s farm looks like in Iowa, one of the oldest Black-owned farms in that state. But Western’s newest venture in north Minneapolis is different.

Western, a seventh-generation farmer, grew up in Minnesota, but would often visit his grandparents on the Iowa farm and help out with planting. At the time, farming wasn’t of much interest to him. That changed when his father took over the operation and Western got to help out. The Western family farm is one of the last 10 Black-owned farms in the state of Iowa, according to the family’s website. 

“I felt more of responsibility than anything, honestly, to kind of hold my foot in that door since we already have that place of privilege,” Western said.

Todd Western IV stands in front of his urban farm plots. Western is a seventh-generation farmer, but his approach is more urban than his ancestors.

Flooding the Desert

Western has learned more about food deserts. He says his home base just across the Robbinsdale border in north Minneapolis is one of them. Online tutorials and his family knowledge helped Western get Freedom Farms off the ground in 2021. He then began growing microgreens in his basement. 

“It’s much more nutritionally dense than the full-grown versions of produce, in a lot of ways,” Western said.

Microgreens are young versions of plants — small sprouts that take only a week or two to harvest. Western said he felt that would be a good way to bring quick, easy nutrition to his neighborhood. Shortly after his operation kicked off, he began selling at farmer’s markets and even made an agreement to sell them to the Minneapolis restaurant Owamni.

After that, he expanded his operation outdoors. Thanks to grant funding from the USDA, Western and his family built created a place to grow produce on a small plot in Minneapolis. It included garden beds, a shed and his collection system for rainwater. The plot is a few blocks from his house, where the microgreens grow.

“Agriculture affects us all. And we all need to eat. We all do better when we have local food grown closer to us,” Western said.

Western typically sells microgreens at the Richfield Farmer’s Market, as well as at Valley Natural Foods in Plymouth. He also has some partnerships with farming nonprofit Route 1.

As of now, most of Western’s outdoor produce is sold to Open Arms, a nonprofit that provides free medically-tailored meals for people with medical needs.

Western holds a pack of freshly harvested microgreens. Microgreens are nutrient-packed, young versions of plants harvested early.

Freedom To Grow

On top of providing healthy foods to his neighbors, Western also has a vision to diversify farm ownership. As of 2022, only 1.5 percent of farms in the United States are Black-owned. According to USDA data, only 46 of them are in Minnesota.

“I really want to see more black and brown kids come into farming,” Western said. “To have more kids get into farming as a way to sustain themselves both financially, nutritionally and everything in between, I think will only help our communities.” 

Western is starting to pique interest by employing younger members of his own family — his daughter and sisters. He wants to continue to train more emerging farmers of color as business continues.

“I think the more [farmers] that we can have in communities of color, and in low-income communities as well, I think that will only help,” Western said.

Western’s father, Todd Western III, lives in Maple Grove and helps connect farmers across the Midwest. Western IV’s day job is in social media strategy, so operating his urban farm means early mornings and late nights.

But that schedule is worth it for him. It’s a chance to grow his community from the heart of it.

Western uses a system to collect rainwater. That water is then used to water his crops and keep them refreshed.

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