Danielle Guerin doesn’t have a background in agriculture. In fact, the Indianapolis native says while in college, she was afraid she’d get stuck in Indiana and wanted to experience life outside the state. So, she would not have imagined leading an urban farming movement through her nonprofit, Soul Food Project, right back in her hometown would be in her future.
“I went to college out of state and studied entrepreneurship, which gave me a lot of business knowledge,” Guerin says. “I got my master’s degree in public affairs, and while I was in school, they had a program where I could study abroad. I worked with farmers in Cameroon to help them diversify their operations. I didn’t have the agricultural knowledge, but I had business knowledge and found I really enjoyed agriculture. It’s therapeutic for me, and I could use my skills as well.”
Guerin says while abroad, she volunteered with the Peace Corps and learned about the importance of food security and food deserts, a term that refers to communities with limited access to healthy, affordable foods.
“I realized the neighborhood I grew up in was a food desert,” she says. “So, I decided to start a farm.”
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Soul Food Project
Learn More
To learn more about Soul Food Project, visit soulfoodprojectindy.org.
Guerin began her farm in 2017, calling around to corporations within the neighborhood to see if they had any vacant land.
“One came back and told me they had a small plot I could use,” she says. “I started playing around in those plots, planting produce.”
By the end of spring 2018, Purdue Extension reached out to Guerin to see if she’d be interested in becoming involved in a youth program, teaching teenagers about farming, growing their own food and urban agriculture. Guerin jumped at the chance, and Soul Food Project grew from there.
Now, the farm is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering a full-time youth program, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program run by the youth and a tool share program for the community.
After seeing the success of the youth program, Soul Food Project added a two-year apprenticeship for adults.
“One of our funders approached me and said, ‘The youth program is great, but there’s a severe lack of adult education around farming. What would you need to start that?’” Guerin says. “I gave him a number, and we made it happen.”
They’ve also expanded to three locations, covering 7,100 square feet total, and recently built a hoop house at the flagship location to continue growing produce in the winter. They have plans for future expansion.
“It’s so important for the community to be involved so they can choose their food and what they want to eat,” Guerin says. “They get a say in what we grow, they can afford it and it’s right in their own neighborhood. I want people to be able to look at our farm and feel like it’s accessible – like they can replicate it in their own backyards.”
She adds that part of the food sovereignty she wants to instill is building upon her ancestors’ agricultural knowledge and skills.
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Fresh for the Future
When asked what they produce on the farm, Guerin says it’s almost easier to say what they don’t grow.
“We grow just about everything,” she laughs. “We focus on fresh produce that is easy for beginning chefs to use and learn about, as well as food that is culturally appropriate.”
Soul Food Project grows lots of okra, greens and tomatoes, which are popular within the community.
“Kohlrabi is probably the most unique vegetable we grow, but it’s good to be able to teach people about it and how to use it,” she says.
In addition to teaching people about the produce she grows, Guerin wants to continue teaching people they can do exactly what she is doing.
“I want to help inspire other young farmers and our community to grow, and I hope we can be both a go-to spot for the neighborhood as well as a strong resource for aspiring BIPOC farmers,” Guerin says.
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