Marbleseed Conference 2026 - Presentations

The Black Farmer Affinity Group will create a dedicated space to reflect on the deep and often overlooked leadership of Black farmers in farm to school organizing, particularly across the southeastern region of the United States. The session will ground participants in a brief history of early Black farmer cooperatives that sold food to local schools, alongside the origins of the School Breakfast Program as a community-led intervention initiated by the Black Panther Party. From this shared historical context, participants will engage in facilitated discussion about current opportunities and barriers within K–12 school food markets, including procurement, scale, and policy constraints. The conversation will also highlight resources and pathways offered through the National Farm to School Network and NCAT to support Black farmers interested in school markets. This affinity group will be facilitated and led by Tomas Delgado, Program Manager with the National Farm to School Network, and is intended for Black farmers seeking connection, strategy, and cooperative learning.