Host Jeremy C. Park interviews Jessica Golden Moore, Senior Project Manager with Urban Roots of Tennessee, who highlights the community-driven agricultural initiative dedicated to empowering Memphis youth through hands-on farming, leadership development, and sustainable entrepreneurship. Jessica explains that Urban Roots of Tennessee was launched about two years ago at the request of founder Dr. Ed Stevens III, who wanted to establish an urban farm in the Raleigh community, in collaboration with STAR Academy Charter School.
Jessica discusses their vision for a farm-based educational program focused on hands-on learning, leadership, and entrepreneurship. They emphasize moving beyond traditional standardized testing by offering students experiences in urban micro-farming and sustainable startups that teach life skills not typically covered in school. Jessica explains their goal to help students learn new skills and potentially launch businesses that could impact their community.
Jessica provides a comprehensive overview of the urban farm located at 3240 James Rd. in Memphis, Tennessee, describing key features including a pollinator garden, clear water ecosystem pond, chicken coops with 5 hens, rabbit hutch with 2 rabbits, orchard with various fruit trees and berry bushes, greenhouse, raised garden beds for hands-on learning, and an outdoor pavilion used for workshops and future student-led markets.
Jeremy and Jessica discuss the integration of entrepreneurship and leadership into their educational program. For younger students in pre-K through fifth grade, the focus is on stewardship and sustainability, teaching them to respect and understand the land and animals. For middle school students in sixth through eighth grade, the program emphasizes entrepreneurship, showing students various aspects of the agricultural business beyond farming, including cooking, marketing, and community engagement.
Jessica reports positive feedback from students of all ages regarding their agricultural program, with younger students showing high enthusiasm and older students actively engaging with agriculture advisors and asking questions about leadership skills. She provides details about the team structure, including Dr. Ed Stevens as founder, herself as Senior Project Manager, Dr. Madilynn Hunter as Agriculture Advisor working on curriculum development, and a newly hired farm manager who lives on the property.
Jessica explains the community engagement efforts for Urban Roots of Tennessee, including neighborhood outreach, community surveys, and upcoming adult workshops. She emphasizes informing residents about the project’s goals to beautify the space, and notes that community feedback has helped determine what to grow in the area.
Jessica discusses the community engagement aspects of their project, noting that many people who grew up in Raleigh have reached out since their grand opening, showing excitement about the community giving back initiative. She explains that while the project started with STAR Academy students, they want to make it accessible to all area schools and welcome broader community involvement through events like birthday parties, garden parties, and farmers markets. Jessica emphasizes their goal to build inclusive community partnerships while demonstrating to students that project-based learning can connect with people in meaningful ways.
Jessica outlines phase two plans for Urban Roots of Tennessee, which include building an outdoor kitchen for workshops, expanding greenhouse production, and adding fish farming with tilapia. She provides information about how people can learn more and get involved by following them on social media as @UrbanRootsTN or visiting their website at urbanrootstn.org.
Visit https://urbanrootstn.org to learn more and get involved with Urban Roots of Tennessee.
