Three Black & Latinx Farmers Growing 10,000 lbs

We are Iridescent Earth Collective (IEC), a Queer, Black & Latinx led farm enterprise from the Bronx. We grow food for the Bronx in rural New York. The three of us (Kadeesha, Sea and Jessica) have over a decade of experience in farming, education, and community organizing.

By donating to this campaign, you will be supporting us, 3 Bronx farmers, in covering a year of personal expenses to make it more feasible for us to farm in upstate NY. These expenses include housing/utilities, vehicle insurance & maintenance, as well as our health & wellness.

Fall Equinox UPDATE:

Some time has passed since we last chatted with you all. As Iridescent Earth Collective welcomed the Fall Equinox, we’ve reached the end of our farm incubation at Star Route Farm and are finishing up final distributions to our Bronx mutual aid partners. We are so grateful to have distributed fresh produce this season with East Brook Community Farm and Star Route Farm.

We’re excited to announce that we are on target to reach our collective’s goal in distributing 10,000 pounds of produce to the Bronx! A huge thanks to powerhouse Jessica for making the bulk of our season’s deliveries and market drops happen <3 We distributed produce to The Bronx Friendly Fridge, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center, Community Access, Taqwa Community Farm, New Roots Community Farm, and Riverdale Neighborhood Houses.

In July, we hosted a talk about the Urban to Rural Continuum with The New York Botanical Garden at Taqwa Community Farm in the Bronx. In August, with Star Route Farm, we hosted a series of events, including a retreat, where we were treated to food, games and sweet music from Bandits on the Run. We made art, swam and built community with East Brook Community Farm, Angelito Collective, Comida Pal Pueblo, Nuestra Mesa and Bushwick Ayuda Mutua.

This fall, IEC is saving seeds from our flowers, herbs and vegetables in preparation for the next growing season. With Reclaim Seed, we grew habichuelas rojas, a variety of beans from the hometown of Sea’s grandmother in Puerto Rico! We are happily harvesting these beans.

Kitty) & Sea just finished up their first fall class, Preparing for Winter and are preparing to begin their next class, Small Farm Planning and Design, both with Farm School NYC.

Iridescent Earth Collective couldn’t have done it without our community’s support and guidance.

With the funds raised we were able to keep our rent and electricity paid, and wifi to continue our work. We received basic healthcare services such as medications, check-ups, therapy. Make no mistake, this money helped us reach our goal without breaking ourselves in the process.

As farmers of color, having the privilege to prioritize our health and mental well-being has made a huge impact in the way we’ve been able to incubate our project and reach our goals this season. It has also supported us in having agency with conflict resolution, resource sharing, and community building for our collective work.

We need your support to continue this work.

This winter, our work will have a slower steadier pace. We are entering the period of respite for the natural world and we intend to take head, but we will also be farming. With your support, we will be able to continue this work with meaning and with it grounded in respecting our bodies and minds.

In the upcoming months, we will be working with the Catskills Agrarian Alliance and Tommy Hutson to build out a 1 acre intensive farm, in Hamden NY. Through the CAA, we’ve been connected to Tommy Hutson of River Haven Farm, a long time cattle rancher and land owner interested in supporting our work as he transitions to retirement. IEC will be working diligently with our friend Tommy, to access and build our farm, beginning in late winter early spring 2023. Our goal is to continue to grow for distribution to the Bronx, and to build on the momentum we all have in changing things.

Finally, we are working on digital content for launch in 2023. The content will include stories from our shared experiences in this work as we grow together. The content will be available to the community and beyond.

We know with your support we can make this happen! Please donate to our Gofundme now!

Donations are not the only means of support! Please like, boost and share our story with your friends and family! With much love and healing on the mind…

Thank you!