FarmerJawn owner Christa Barfield is on a mission to provide access to healthy food for Philadelphia's under-resourced populations
Woman-Owned Farm Fosters Healthy Communities in Philadelphia With CDFI Support
Client: FarmerJawn
Client Location: West Chester, PA
CDFI: Foodshed Capital
CDFI Service Area: VA
Financing and technical assistance, with support from OFN’s Finance Justice Fund
In the Philadelphia area, FarmerJawn owner Christa Barfield is “reintroducing agriculture into the lifestyles of urban people” with the goal of building healthy and sustainable communities. After a decade-long career in the healthcare industry, Christa decided to quit her job and, shortly afterward, went on vacation to Martinique to reset. Little did she know that this trip and her connections with farmers and chefs on the island would lead her to start her farming business, FarmerJawn, in 2018.
FarmerJawn’s mission is to increase access to nutritious food for Philadelphia’s underserved populations, especially Black and Brown communities, through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) memberships and storefronts in food deserts. The farm uses regenerative farming practices to grow fresh and organic products while educating these communities about farming and the provenance of their food.
As the nation’s largest woman- and Black-owned regenerative organic farm, FarmerJawn is committed to addressing food insecurity in Philadelphia and beyond.
CDFIs Investments Help Improve Equitable Access to Healthy Food
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) like OFN member Foodshed Capital exist to make food systems more equitable and more regenerative, especially for communities that have been historically excluded from vital resources. Through one of the CDFI’s partner organizations, Kitchen Table Consultants, Christa was introduced to Foodshed Capital as a source of affordable, flexible financing that would be excited to support an early-stage operation like FarmerJawn.
The farms Foodshed Capital lends to are typically not candidates for traditional financing for a variety of reasons, either because they need a small amount of capital, they lack collateral to secure a loan, or because mainstream lenders view small-scale and organic operations as overly risky. And in many instances, farmers of color are wary of navigating an onerous loan application process only to face discrimination and denial.
For FarmerJawn, Foodshed Capital presented attractive, custom-fit terms and a team willing to work closely with her to develop the documents she’d need to successfully apply for a loan.
With her 0% interest financing, FarmerJawn was able to kickstart retail produce sales on a new 123-acre property in the suburbs, a significant leap in growth from her five-acre urban farm. The loan funded the renovation and initial inventory at an existing storefront that now serves as a retail store.
In addition, the CDFI helped FarmerJawn prepare financial projections and manage taxes.
“Foodshed Capital’s ability to respond to the unique needs of small-scale regenerative farmers on the East Coast is what makes us different than other CDFIs, and our work with FarmerJawn is a testament to this,” said Foodshed Capital’s Executive Director Michael Reilly.
More Than a Privilege, a Human Right
Like many cities in the U.S., Philadelphia is home to food-insecure households. A 2020 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that one in ten households in the Philadelphia region lacks access to healthy, affordable food on a regular basis. These figures are even more alarming for marginalized communities, including communities of color across the nation.
Food insecurity is more than lacking a grocery store nearby or affordable organic products. It is often the result of several factors, including poverty, unemployment, low wages, systemic racism and discrimination, and more.
CDFIs address these issues. Their investments help build healthy and thriving communities.
Learn more about the activity and performance of OFN member CDFIs. Download OFN’s annual reference guide, Side by Side, and Inside the Membership fact sheet.
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