Big Heart, Micro Farm — An Man’s Journey to End Food Insecurity in South LA
Sitting down after a long day of farming, Jamiah Hargins boots up his PC in his home, where he lives, works and tends to his crops and children. He doesn’t live in the California boondocks, but in the bustling metropolis of South Los Angeles. His home, The Degnan Microfarm, thrives in the heart of Leimert Park on the corner of Degnan Boulevard and Coliseum Street.
“Our main objective is to grow food and distribute it in an equitable fashion in a hyperlocal distribution. So our food only goes within a mile, and soon we’ll be growing enough food for chefs and restaurants too … and people who live within a mile of any micro farm are eligible to be on the membership list.” Hargins said.
The Degnan Microfarm is the headquarters of Crop Swap LA, a project created by Hargins back in 2018 in order to grow fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. Hargins, 39, oversees operations at the other microfarms such as Asante and La Salle, all with the same goal to combat food insecurity in urban communities. Hargins also wants to help low-income families create “nano farms” to expand the crop swap.
“We think we can get up to 100 of these little nano farms by next year. There’s a lot of community connectivity, and a lot of relationships and a lot of support. You don’t feel like you’re doing anything alone anymore. You feel like you’ve got people behind you,” he said.
His children were his inspiration to make the farm. Daughters, Zia, 11 months, and Triana, 6.
“Just as a parent, you get to think, what are the risks right now, the risk is, do I run out of money, run out of food, fresh air, fresh water, a lot of these things are out of our control at some point,’’ Hargins said. ‘’But when it comes to growing food that’s in our control. You just have to put your mind to it and figure out how you can do it because every parent wants the best food for their kids. There needs to be a workforce that’s established to make that happen.”
For him, family is a massive responsibility, but one with love and support, and also one where he must know where to place his roots.
“I’ve been living in urban communities since I went to college. Went to college in Chicago, and I’ve been in cities ever since. I’m not actually from cities, I’m from the country in New Mexico. And my family was in the Air Force too. So we traveled around in Germany and England and other places, but not cities … and I’m used to being on an Air Force base where there’s always everything you need, there’s food, there’s security, there’s homes, jobs. Everyone’s respectable because they all kind of work together … so I found that crop swap in our method of growing food and distributing it equitably, is a way to level that playing field and keeping it within one mile means it’s just for the people nearby,” he said.
Hargins recieved generous offers from affluent people in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica who wanted to bring his produce into their massive home. But he has turned down every offer, stating that the food is for locals only due to the lack of fresh and healthy food available in his Black and Latino neighborhood. According to the U.S. Census, the neighborhood of Leimert Park is 72.3% Black and 15.5% Hispanic. He wants to make it easier to bring the food to the tables of his neighbors rather than them having to struggle to find it themselves.
Hargins has strong feelings about most food sold at grocery stores due to high prices. He speaks about how the system of selling produce currently will fall apart. ‘’ People are starting to wake up and realize if they don’t try to grow something on their own, they’re just at the whim of the price and availability … they don’t have that right. And we have to fight back,” he said.
The farm incorporates innovation and tech.
‘’There are numerous small things that make a big difference. Like we have copper coils, in some of our beds that create their own electromagnetic field … We’re also using constructed water here. So we use rainwater that falls and then we run it over rocks and that creates a constructive water series. So when you drink constructed water or you put constructed water onto plants, they grow twice as fast as regular water.”
Hargins also talks about how not only does Crop Swap LA use scientific innovation, but also business innovation.
“The fact that we have one delivery driver that goes out to all locations versus having all the locations come and pick up, that’s kind of innovation, we think is important for community cohesion, and environmental cohesion. And for the practicality of getting the food out quickly,” Hargins said.
He hopes to reduce food insecurity in South Los Angeles.
“Food insecurity is not knowing what you would do if the grocery store closed down or not knowing what you would do if an earthquake shut off the entryways to the LA area because there’s like five entryways, and things could definitely fall on them. And like, people wouldn’t have food. Pretty, you know, without much effort, or the water could be shut off in our tank in our faucets … and most people have food insecurity,’’ he said.
Even people who are privileged and in better developed communities are not able to feed themselves, Hargins said. While they have the funds to buy organic food more easily than people of color in impoverished communities, they do not have the fundamental knowledge and tools to know how to cultivate and grow their own crops if need be due to a crisis or cataclysmic situation, he said.
Hargins believes that learning how to grow your own food is an important, undervalued skill.
He does have his favorite crops.
“I love to grow concord grapes. Because they pop out in your mouth. Once you put them in there, they pop out of their skin. Delicious … I love those. And I love that once they grow, they grow more and more. My staff liked eggplant. Some of the staff do eggplant dishes. Some of the staff did a curry dish the other day, just made out like a squash curry. I mean, the possibilities are endless when you go to the vegetable world,” he said.
Upon the winter season, he has a plan to see that the crops are healthy and bountiful in response to the cold weather. To him, being a leader is one who has to be prepared for every possible scenario. His heart is in the place of serving his community and learning from his mistakes to make Leimert Park and Los Angeles a better and more hearty city.
“I’d say the greatest achievement is inspiring people because thousands drive by here every week. They stop and point and smile and point, ask questions. I don’t know anything I could have done better, that inspires more people this fast. So I’m sure that’s a good one,” Hargins said.
The micro farm currently has funds, but due to the massive food insecurity issues happening right now, they welcome donations.
Works Cited
“Asante Microfarm.” Crop Swap LA, Crop Swap LA, https://www.cropswapla.org/asantemicrofarm. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
“Crop Swap La .” Crop Swap LA, Crop Swap LA, www.cropswapla.org/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
“Donate to Crop Swap LA.” Crop Swap LA, Crop Swap LA, www.cropswapla.org/donate. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
“Jamiah Hargins — Instagram .” Instagram, Instagram, www.instagram.com/brownsuperdad/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
“La Salle Microfarm.” Crop Swap LA, Crop Swap LA, https://www.cropswapla.org/lasallemicrofarm. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
“The Degnan Microfarm.” Crop Swap LA, Crop Swap LA, www.cropswapla.org/degnan. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
“Seasonal Microfarm Membership.” Crop Swap LA, Crop Swap LA, www.cropswapla.org/seasonalmembership. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
“Race and Ethnicity in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California (Neighborhood).” The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States — Statistical Atlas, statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/California/Los-Angeles/Leimert-Park/Race-and-Ethnicity. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
