We create awareness, connection, and viability through program initiatives to social and environmental issues, agricultural efforts, equitable value chain development, and farm-forward products that uplift Black farmers and makers.
Peoples Freedom Pilot Farm
Peoples Freedom Farm is a land-centered North Carolina project focusing on cotton, textiles, and apparel. It is an agriculture demonstration, testing, and teaching site that promotes a climate-smart, diversified crop, and agroforestry farm. We follow the most common and protective practices for land stewardship and strive to research and test the best climate-beneficial cotton practices, crop genetics, and soil science. We also provide an immersive learning hub for Black farmers, youth, and community members to connect with agriculture, textiles, and Black history through multiple facets. To continue to uplift this work, we sponsor and collaborate with locally aligned organizations, e.g., Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp, Black Farm Bike Tour & Black Sustainability Summit.
Climate Beneficial™ Verification
Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial™ Verification program and label support farmers and ranchers in landscape-level stewardship that centers their work on building healthy soil. Seed2Shirt has become the Southeast U.S. region’s verification and implementation lead for Black farmers and ranchers. Developed in 2015 in collaboration with The Carbon Cycle Institute, scientists, and technical service providers, the Climate Beneficial™ Program engages fiber producers. It provides financial and technical support to enhance the drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere. Monitoring and measurement tools include a combination of direct measurement, dynamic environmental systems models, and satellite systems. These tools track and verify the continual improvement and innovative work annually.
C4
C4 is a California-based coalition that aims to develop regional sourcing and partnerships between farmers, scientists, supply chains, and companies. As a partner and collaborator, Seed2Shirt bridges and brings these relationships and models to the BLACKollective in the Southeast region of the U.S. Together, we develop long-term partnerships between companies with goals to make positive shifts through the supply chain and towards the farmers implementing Climate Beneficial™ practices.
Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership
The Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership works with wool, alpaca, and cotton growers in nine primary states to accelerate the adoption of conservation agriculture practices that benefit the climate, strengthen on-farm resilience, and build regional fiber systems. The partnership team provides enrolled producers technical assistance and $18 million in direct incentive payments to write and implement whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans on fiber-producing landscapes. Seed2Shirt’s primary farmer focus is Black farmers throughout the Southeast region. The Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership team consists of six partner organizations; Carbon Cycle Institute, Colorado State University, Fibershed, National Center for Appropriate Technology, New York Textile Lab, and Seed2Shirt. Funding for this partnership comes from USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program.
Reimagined Futures
We uphold the continued growth and connection between youth/young adults/professionals and textile, fashion, and agriculture by supporting education, training, and workforce development through program and course development, sponsorships, internships, and apprenticeships. With unique partnerships with schools like Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center and NC A&T we can work in accord with industry and education.
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