Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming AfroEcology Dates
Updated: 15 hours ago
This fall, Black Sustainability, Inc. is doubling down on hands-on land education. Whether you've got two hours over lunch or three full days to invest, there's a way to step deeper into AfroIndigenous and NRCS-rooted land practices this season. Here's everything coming up, and why it matters.
Why These Trainings Are Needed
Black and Afro-Indigenous growers have carried land wisdom for generations, but access to the technical resources, certifications, and funding pathways that come through programs like the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has not always followed. That gap shows up as real consequences: farmers missing out on cost-share programs, land going underutilized, and generational ecological knowledge staying undocumented instead of being passed forward and applied at scale.
These trainings exist to close that gap from both directions. We're not just teaching NRCS practices, we're teaching them alongside Afroindigenous land wisdom, so growers walk away with both the traditional knowledge our communities have always held and the modern technical language and certifications needed to access resources, apply for programs like NRCS's Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and build resilient, climate-conscious farms. Every irrigation system installed, every high tunnel built, every soil health practice adopted is one more farm that's more self-sufficient, more resourced, and more prepared for what's ahead.
About Our AfroEcologist Training
At the center of this work is our AfroEcologist Certification, a 3-day intensive training paired with an in-person workshop, designed to do more than teach a skill. It's built to develop a cadre of advocates: growers, landowners, and enthusiasts who don't just learn AfroIndigenous and NRCS practices for themselves, but go on to extend that knowledge through BSI's AfroEcology Program.
Certified AfroEcologists help ensure farmer adoption of respectful, sustainable land practices in their own communities, guide fellow growers toward NRCS CSP applications and funding opportunities, and connect farmers to each other through BSI's network map. Through online coursework, hands-on farm field days, and required in-person attendance, participants leave not just educated, but equipped to lead.
The Lunch & Learn series and 3-Day Intensives below are entry points into this same ecosystem, some short and low-commitment, others deep and hands-on, but all connected to the same goal: a stronger, more self-sufficient, more connected Black and Afroindigenous farming community.
BSI AfroEcology Lunch & Learn Series
A monthly, bite-sized session for growers and land stewards to build practical skills, from technical assistance to irrigation to high tunnel growing, in just two hours over lunch.
September 10: Technical Assistance | 12:30-2:30pm
October 22: Irrigation | 12:30-2:30pm
November 5: High Tunnel | 12:30-2:30pm
December 3: BSI AfroEcology Panel
No long-term commitment required, just show up, learn, and take something practical back to your land.
Sign Up: https://bit.ly/AfroEcoLunchNLearn1
AfroEcologist 3-Day Intensive Series
A hands-on, multi-day training rooted in AfroIndigenous and NRCS practices, giving participants deep, field-based experience in topics like irrigation, rice cultivation, and high tunnel growing.
September 15-17: Broad NRCS Education | 10:00am-2:00pm
October 28-30: NRCS: Irrigation/Rice @ G4 | 10:00am-2:00pm
November 11-13: High Tunnel @ Elevate | 10:00am-2:00pm
Each intensive builds real, field-tested skills you can bring straight back to your own farm or land project.
Meet You Where You Are
Sustainability isn't just a concept for us, it's a practice, one built on Afroindigenous wisdom and modern NRCS conservation science working together. These sessions are designed to meet you wherever you are: curious enthusiast, seasoned grower, or someone ready to become a certified AfroEcologist advocate for your community.
Save these dates, and we'll see you in the field.
Questions about registration? Reach out to our team, and follow along for more details as each date approaches.
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