AfroEcology Series: Rattlers in High Tunnels

On August 16 & 17, 2025, Black Sustainability, Inc. and Eco-PARADIGM hosted another successful AfroEcology Series workshop at the historic Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida. This was a hands-on workshop focused on high-tunnel installation with FAMU's Lola Hampton - Frank Pinder Center for Agroecology (LHFPCA).

Alpha Phi Alpha represented!

Amongst other attendees, we want to give a shout out to the Alphas who showed up to give us a strength on Saturday!

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was referenced as a resource attendees could consider.

We set out with an aim to transform traditional agricultural education and their capacity to help resolve problems related to climate disruption and social inequality within Black communities, the state of Florida, and the global community, with a specific emphasis on the wider Caribbean bioregion (WCBR).

Together, we worked with FAMU student & staff to build a 21-x-60-foot Guardian High Tunnel at FAMU’s LHFPCA Mini Farm, teaching attendees essential construction skills in site preparation, framing, and plastic covering. We also introduced NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) 325 – High Tunnel System, which supports high tunnel installations and complementary practices such as CPS 342 – Critical Area Planting, CPS 484 – Mulching, CPS 558 – Roof Runoff Structures, and CPS 620 – Underground Outlets. Together, these practices help farmers increase production while conserving soil and water resources.

The workshop was not only a technical training, we shared meals and community dialogue reinforced AfroEcology’s principle that land stewardship is inseparable from collective care and connection.

LHFPCA's mission is to support Black and under-resourced farmers and land stewards to build resilient food systems, heal our communities, and lend towards the remediation of climate catastrophes.