Conversations Series: Melony Edwards

Conversations Series
Hearing the Voices of Black and Indigenous Farmers and People involved in the Food System

Monday, February 15th via Zoom
5:30-6:30pm AK Time

Meet Melony Edwards and hear about her experience as a Black farmer and breaking farming stereotypes. Q&A session will follow presentation.

Registration is free and open to the public! Pre-registration is required: click here to register via Zoom.

Brought to you by Calypso Farm & Ecology Center and the Folk School Fairbanks

Melony Edwards is a first-generation farmer. Her ancestors left their agricultural past after emancipation, seeking a better life in the North away from the fields of sorrow that they had grown to know. They were part of what is known as the Great Migration.

Well over a century later, Melony Edwards began her journey to reclaim farming on her own terms. After completing degrees in culinary arts and hospitality, and working in all facets of foodservice, Edwards began wondering “where does our food come from? And why are there no visible Black farmers at the local farmers market?” Edwards found that gaining access to entry-level farming training in the rural landscape was exclusive, but she was determined to learn agricultural skills outside of her urban setting. Edwards’ journey landed her on a 20 acre mixed vegetable farm on rural Whidbey Island where she immersed herself in small-scale agricultural practices. Edwards spent three years there advancing to Farm Manager. She then spent a season at Calypso Farm and is now embarking on her own farming business focused on seed growing, natural dyeing and fiber arts. You can learn more about her farm business by following Ebony.by.Nature on Instagram.