May 2026: Member Spotlight - Chris Lemons

On any given day in Atlanta’s westside, you might find Chris Lemons tending crops, leading a workshop, or in conversation with community members about what it truly takes to build a sustainable future. While he is a Master Gardener, Director of Operations at Eco- PARADIGM and co-founder of Gratitude Botanical Farm, those titles only begin to capture the depth of his work. At his core, Chris is a systems thinker, a community builder, and a steward of both land and legacy.

Chris Lemons is an Atlanta native with deep familial ties to farming in Georgia. That lineage is a living foundation that informs his approach to agriculture, education, and community engagement. With over a decade of experience as a grower, Chris has cultivated a practice that blends traditional knowledge with contemporary sustainability strategies.

His work in the historic Peoplestown community reflects this balance.

There, he has maintained and managed growing spaces that serve not only as sites of food production, but as spaces of cultural preservation, learning, and connection. Through this work, Chris continues a long-standing tradition of land stewardship within the Afrikan Diaspora, one that recognizes farming as both a practical necessity and a cultural inheritance.

Founded in 2018 alongside Desmond Baskersville, Gratitude Botanical Farm was established with a mission to grow, educate, feed, serve, and protect the history of Atlanta’s people through organic urban agriculture. Since its founding, the farm has become a vital community resource and a model for what equitable, localized food systems can look like in practice.

At Gratitude, the work extends beyond cultivation. The farm serves as a learning environment where community members can gain hands-on experience in growing food, understanding soil health, and reconnecting with agricultural traditions that have historically sustained Black communities. This emphasis on education is intentional, Chris believes that knowledge-sharing is essential to long-term sustainability.

In recognition of its impact, Gratitude Botanical Farm was named a BrewGether Grantee in both 2024 and 2025, highlighting its role in advancing a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural ecosystem. Yet, for Chris, the true measure of success lies in the strength and self-sufficiency of the community itself.

Central to Chris Lemons work is a clear and consistent focus on food sovereignty. For him, sustainability is fundamentally about control, access, and long-term viability.

In response to challenges such as SNAP instability in Atlanta, Chris has emphasized the importance of proactive system-building. Rather than reacting to crises, he advocates for investing in the infrastructure necessary to sustain communities over time.

This includes:

• Developing accessible storage and processing facilities

• Establishing small-scale milling and light manufacturing capabilities

• Creating shared cold-chain systems to preserve and distribute food

• Coordinating labor networks to support agricultural operations

• Ensuring stable housing so individuals and families can plan beyond immediate needs

This comprehensive approach reflects an understanding that food systems do not operate in isolation. They are interconnected with housing, labor, education, and economic development. Addressing these elements together is essential to building lasting resilience.

Chris also calls attention to the role of institutions, particularly Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in supporting community-based sustainability efforts. He advocates for a renewed relationship between these institutions and the communities they serve, one that prioritizes shared knowledge, resource accessibility, and collective growth.

His perspective is grounded in a broader recognition of the American South as a historically rich and agriculturally productive region. With intentional collaboration, he believes the South has the capacity to once again function as a powerful, localized food system that benefits its own communities.

While recognition such as the BrewGether Grant affirms the importance of this work, Chris Lemons remains focused on the day-to-day efforts required to build and sustain community systems. Whether through farming, education, or advocacy, his work is guided by a long-term vision: communities that are informed, equipped, and empowered to feed themselves.

Folks can support Brother Chris by checking out the webstore and be on the lookout for volunteer days and workshops!

• Gratitude Botanical Farm About Page

• Chris Lemons on LinkedIn