As the attempt to erase African American history remains a prominent threat nationwide, countless articles, blogs and even USAID attribute the origins of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs to Japanese and European models first adopted in the United States in 1986. However, in reality, its beginnings can be traced to Dr. Booker T. Whatley in the 1960s, when the African American agricultural professor developed a new wave of sustainable practices for struggling Black farmers.
Whatley’s aspirated model for small-scale agriculture served as the genesis of the CSA movement.
With National Community Supported Agriculture Week underway (Feb. 16 – 25), Whatley’s legacy is evident in the CSA structures and farmers that carry the evolution of his work, including the Black Farmers Collective, Blooming Glen Farm, and DC Natives, a local nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the city by creating pollinator habitats.
“His work wasn’t just about farming; it was about empowering Black farmers, building community, and ensuring access to fresh, healthy food,” DC Natives wrote in a Feb. 12 Instagram post celebrating Whatley’s legacy. “During Black History Month, we celebrate Booker T. Whatley, a true pioneer who transformed agriculture and left a lasting legacy on our food systems.”
Born in 1915, Whatley, the oldest of 12 children growing up on his family’s Alabama farm, witnessed the systemic struggles and subsequent decline of Black farms, notably due to racist policies, lack of government funding and land theft that favored industrialized agriculture and left minority farms vulnerable.
After earning a degree in agriculture at Alabama A&M University, and briefly serving in the Korean War where he ran a hydroponic farm providing healthy foods to stationed soldiers, Whatley dove into regenerative agriculture research.
With a doctorate in horticulture from Rutgers University, his attention to local farms piqued as a professor at Tuskegee Institute (now University). There, he studied the work of George Washington Carver, and developed a knack for breeding produce (sweet potato varieties, fruits and honeybees) that led to a lifelong passion to uplift efficient and sustainable farming practices.
“I’m afraid that if I don’t do it, nobody else will,” said Whatley in a 1982 interview on his Small Farm Plan. “The time I still have on this earth will be devoted to helping small farmers develop efficient and profitable operations.”
Whatley introduced the clientele membership club, which guaranteed revenue by having customers pay in advance for a season’s worth of food–essentially the basis of modern CSA initiatives. His reintroduced approach encouraged “smaller and smarter” as the key to success, leveraging pick-your-own farms and a ‘buy local’ approach to enhance farmers productivity and relationships with consumers.
“The clientele membership club is the lifeblood of the whole setup. It enables the farmer to plan production, anticipate demand, and, of course, have a guaranteed market,” Whatley once stated.
Whatley’s integration of organic farming and social justice continues to inspire local farmers to reshape their agricultural landscape. In 1987, he authored “How To Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres” as a guide to ensure profitable and successful farming for modern practices.
Today, there are more than 12,000 CSA farms nationwide who pass the torch of the pioneering horticulturist, a testament to the longevity and lasting impact of African American contributions.
“[Whatley’s] advocacy for land sovereignty and fostering strong bonds between farmers and communities paved the way for flourishing CSA programs worldwide,” posted California-based Acta Non Verba (ANV) Youth Urban farm in April 2024. “At ANV, we’re inspired by Whatley’s vision, committed to empowering Oakland families and youth through our CSA.”
