The Ujamaa Farmer Collective is committed to transforming the food system in California by developing sustainable infrastructure to support Black farmers and empower them to access institutional markets. Their project will build aggregation, processing, and distribution facilities, enabling farmers to meet institutional procurement standards and secure long-term economic opportunities. By providing access to shared resources such as cold storage, processing equipment, and distribution vehicles, Ujamaa will help reduce costs and increase collective impact among small-scale Black farmers. The initiative also includes comprehensive food safety training to ensure compliance with institutional requirements and partnerships with local schools, hospitals, and food hubs to expand farm-to-school programs and improve food access. Through this project, Ujamaa Farmer Collective is advancing food sovereignty, promoting cooperative economics, and reshaping the local food value chain to benefit marginalized communities while increasing access to culturally relevant, nutritious foods.
