Elkins Park’s FarmerJawn Agricultural Program Branches Out with West Chester Acreage

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woman with outstreched arms
Image via Alejandro A. Alvarez at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Christa Barfield, founder of FarmerJawn Agriculture, Elkins Park, on her new plot of land in West Chester.

FarmerJawn Agriculture, an Elkins Park community-supported agriculture (CSA) entity, is adding 123 acres of Chester County fields to her array of local greenhouses, Founder Christa Barfield commented on what the added capacity means for her mission to Michael Klein of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

FarmerJawn’s Chester County acquisition is on the grounds of The Westtown School, West Chester, whose onsite ag expert is retiring.

The expansion will bring 123 additional acres to Barfield’s mission of feeding underserved populations’ nutritional needs — and their educational ones, demonstrating firsthand how crops are planted, grown, and harvested.

Barfield sees the Montgomery and (new) Chester County entities working in tandem.

She’s a self-taught agribusiness woman who left her healthcare administration job after a tropical vacation introduced her to the benefits and joys of CSA produce.

Barfield spreads her gospel of good eating to Black and Brown communities by highlighting a initiative she calls “agripreneurship.” The business model centers on helping fledgling growers explore both the nutritional and business value of a career in fresh fruits and vegetables.

“We are looking to change the history of Black farmers in America. We are determined to be definitive agents of change,” she said.

More on the real estate recently harvested by the visionary Christa Barfield is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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FarmerJawn Agriculture is an urban farming operation based in Philadelphia, focused on decreasing food insecurity by increasing organic foodways for Black and Brown communities.

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