JoJuana Leavell-Greene grows food for God’s Pantry Food Bank through the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement Program. She has been farming since 2020, but the soil at one of her three farm locations, Cadentown, has been nourishing communities for a long time.
Cadentown is a Black hamlet—a rural town or community organized and developed by freed slaves and their descendants in Kentucky’s inner Bluegrass region between 1826 and 1924. At least 20 of these communities existed, four of which predated Emancipation. With churches, schools, grocery stores, and lodge halls, hamlets were places that cultivated spiritual traditions as well as opportunities for education and enterprise. Cadentown’s development began in 1867, and by the late 1870s, every lot in the community had been sold.
GreeneLanding KY, JoJuana’s farm, grows vegetables on a plot of land that was originally part of 40 acres sold by Owen Caden to three freed slaves. JoJuana is now building upon the legacy of those who worked the land before her, nourishing her neighbors, and adding to the rich history of Black Americans in Fayette County.
Thanks to the LFPA program, farmers from marginalized communities can expand their market and be paid a fair price. Additionally, this program helps the Food Bank increase the availability of local, nutrient-dense foods for 1 in 6 people at risk of hunger in our 50-county service area.
As advocates for all Kentucky farmers and especially for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity, we hope this imperative program continues. You can also be an advocate by contacting your federal representatives about the LFPA program.
We are so thankful for the contributions of farmers to reducing hunger across Central and Eastern Kentucky, including JoJuana. Together, we will see a nourished life for every Kentuckian.
Learn more about Kentucky’s Black hamlets like Cadentown here.
