BattleField Farm has fought the good fight against food insecurity since 2018 when Chris Battle first learned about the prevalence of food deserts in urban communities.
Now a fully-equipped community garden with forty raised beds, a high tunnel, chickens, and bees, their mission involves “partnering with community members to make fresh food accessible and to cultivate land-based sovereignty through education, workforce development, and direct relationships to land.”
Battle is passionate about educating younger generations on the lack of nutritious, homegrown food in urban areas and helping them develop the skill sets to become the solution to this widespread issue.
Kayla Stuart, a current master’s student in forestry at the Herbert College of Agriculture, has volunteered at BattleField for years and now oversees their new internship program. This past summer, six students from Knox County high schools participated in the everyday responsibilities of the urban farm in East Knoxville.
Stuart admitted that the program had a bit of a “rocky start” because of the students’ tentativeness toward working in nature. As time went on, they grew more comfortable with the work, learning about food disparity and gaining skills in gardening, beekeeping, carpentry, and more.
The interns also participated in BattleField’s community outreach efforts, like harvesting and selling produce at the Eastside Sunday Market. They even worked on “Fannie Lou,” BattleField’s very own veggie van that travels to various low-income communities within food deserts to distribute produce from local farmers, free of charge.
The goal of the internship program is to “plant seeds” in the younger generations to feel confident in their ability to feed themselves and their loved ones through the land, and to “leave a legacy of younger people being more integrated into farming.” According to Stuart, “There’s no better time than their teen years to get involved in community action that gives them dignity and sense of self.”
Stuart expressed her appreciation toward BattleField, regarding the organization as a “genuine resource to the Knoxville community.” She is also grateful to professors in the Herbert College of Agriculture, John Stier and Sharon Jean-Philippe, for their support of her efforts with the internship program. She expressed, “It means alot when you have professors who hold true to their word.”
Stuart is hopeful that the internship program will continue to receive the funding needed to grow. She said, “you have to invest in the future if you want it to change.” And helping high school students connect with the land is a great starting point.
