New community farm near AAMU campus has an official name

A new community farm near the Alabama A&M University campus has an official name now. The farm, now dubbed the People’s Patch Community Farm, is a joint project between AAMU and the Madison County Commission.

The farm aims to address food insecurity and strengthen research and local food systems in Madison County.

The People’s Patch Community Farm

The People’s Patch — located on Meridian Street between Normal Hills and Drake State Technical College — provides a unique opportunity for AAMU faculty, students and community members to address food insecurity while strengthening research and local food systems in Madison County.

Earlier this year, Alabama A&M and the Madison County Commission signed a five-year agreement to establish the farm near the AAMU campus to allow for expanded operations to meet increasing needs.

AAMU and Madison County officials say community involvement and engagement with the farm has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“Students are coming together to look at irrigation and weed mitigation and learning how to work the land as we teach young people where food comes from. For the community, it means free produce. It means they can go out and get greens and cucumbers and melons whether they have the money or not.”

Violet Edwards, Madison County Commissioner

Addressing food insecurity with a community farm

According to AAMU studies, food insecurity in Alabama grew to over 44 percent between 2021 and 2023.

This means that nearly 500,000 Alabamians, including children and older adults, experience hunger (and at least 12 percent of residents experience hunger on a regular basis).

Initiatives like the People’s Patch Community Farm aim to help change those odds in Alabama.

Stay in the know, Huntsville! Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok, Threads and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.