Project Statement

Current agricultural systems in California’s Central Valley cause extreme environmental degradation and contribute to ecological and public health crises. This project engages the Central Valley community of Allensworth in the development of a new place-based framework for regenerative agriculture. The Allensworth Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) is a 4,000-square-foot site in Allensworth, CA, that investigates holistic and community-based techniques for food-producing landscapes. Its focus is on promoting ecological health, repurposing materials in the organic waste stream, increasing food sovereignty in the community of Allensworth, and reigniting its radical agrarian history.

Project Narrative

In 1908 the all-Black agrarian town of Allensworth was founded in Tulare County, California to serve as a refuge from Jim Crow-era racism. Its founders sought to make it the "Tuskegee of the West," inspired by Booker T. Washington's university in Alabama, which provided vocational training for Black Americans, particularly in agriculture. Agronomist George Washington Carver established the Tuskegee Agricultural Experiment Station, which tested sustainable farming techniques and shared research in 43 Agricultural Bulletins, providing practical, cost-effective methods for Black farmers. Despite its achievements, Allensworth never realized its vision as the "Tuskegee of the West", since water scarcity and limited economic prospects led to its decline by the mid-20th century. The Allensworth Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) is an ode to Carver’s work and has been developed in collaboration with the non-profit, Allensworth Progressive Association (APA). The AAES aims to test out and determine the most effective methods for soil revitalization, create space for community-based food production, and provide resources and education on agroecology. Agroecology is a holistic agricultural system that considers various ecological elements and attempts to create or strengthen mutualistic relationships between them. In many ways, it is the antithesis of extractive and destructive industrial agriculture systems and can provide the basis for a new system for food production in Allensworth.

Before construction of the AAES, a deep site analysis was conducted which consisted of soil tests, cataloging of existing plant species, and documentation of existing site resources and amenities (access to water, electricity, etc.) to determine the best ways to remediate the soil and begin to engage the local community.

Through existing community relationships, the APA was able to help facilitate local involvement in the development and construction of the AAES. This included organizing the weekly collection of food scraps from the Allensworth Elementary School cafeteria, establishing relationships with local orchard removal services to schedule deliveries of wood chips, and locating other suppliers of organic materials that could be diverted from the organic waste stream and reincorporated on the AAES site for soil building. Additionally, through a series of community visits and volunteer days, local residents and other volunteers were able to gather at the AAES and collaborate on its design and construction. During the largest community event centered around Earth Day, attendees, which consisted of members of the APA and local residents, planted over 50 native species and participated in a compost workshop that included a demo on how compost works and how to use the three-bin compost system at the AAES.

The AAES will be closely monitored to determine which agroecological soil-building methods are the most effective and which California native species can adapt and thrive in the soil and climate conditions. This data collection will inform the construction and cultivation of a larger regenerative community farm to be established by the APA in the future. Additionally, collaboration and conversations with Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities in Allensworth are ongoing to determine what culturally significant crops and plant species should be cultivated in the soon-to-be remediated soil at the AAES and on the APA’s future farm site.