We were lucky to catch up with Arlana Brumfield recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Arlana, thanks for joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

In 2023 I was completed an internship for my BS in Public Health. I had selected a well known non profit that was serving and located in the impoverished community of Dallas called Oak Cliff. They had a fairly new farmers market and were creating a garden course to teach local Black community members how to grow the produce that would sell at the market. Turns out, they weren’t gardeners at all but a grant funded idea. I had shared my background in Clinical Lab science, Biology degree, Food and Sanitation and Catering management . They knew I had military experience but they didn’t know my personal hobbies. I watched as they called around and glued together a garden course by taking pieces from various sources. When I asked if I could help, it was like stay in your lane. Finish the task I gave you intern. I kept dropping hints and ideas as well as slowly taking on tasks to contribute to the project. After weeks into the project, I pointed out that the manager had eaten a salad I shared and the ingredients came from my garden. That opened the door for me. I was then assigned to be the official Garden Cohort manager that they really needed to allow them to focus on the Farmer’s market. The first couple of weeks in, the manager set up a meeting to introduce me to a large well established non profit called Texas Small Farmers&Ranchers Community Based Organization. They were providing YouTube training videos about farming and selling in the market. It was at that introduction that began a catalyst of many encounters with that organization to shift my future. I was volunteering and consulting with the Farmers Market manager after hours. She had a non profit that hosts mobile pantries to feed the homeless and provide wrap around services to mitigate factors contributing to high risk homelessness. I had a personal mission to serve that dame community and had been volunteering and cooking for homeless organizations. I pitched to TSFRCBO the idea of relocating their annual summit to empower local Black farmers to Oak Cliff. Oak Cliff as well as most metro cities with a high Black and brown population had a very high rate of food insecurity, associated diseases and a lower mortality rate. It would best serve the community to include the fast growing Urban producers that I had built repor with through the garden Cohort. They agreed to not only relocate their summit to the area, but to partner with Feed the Streetz to invite local Urban gardeners and promote the summit in the community. During the planning process, I shared my genuine passion to enrich the communities outlook on consuming whole, fresh food, and reverse diseases that super processed foods was causing in the BIPOC community. I shared my universities event space and planned on sharing my genuine excitement about a Public health major contributing to reversing health and food disparity coupled with local gardeners and farmers. That organization, TSFRCBO noted my passion and dedication to Feed the Streetz and offered monetary and logistical support to a garden curriculum I had designed to meet the communities needs on many levels. I was encouraged to launch a garden course I had written for the novice growing in a pot on the window sill to a larger backyard vertical garden in your yard. After successfully hosting the course and graduating 12-15 local gardeners, I starting creating my non profit in my heart. I was offered a 5 acre space to grow on locally and the vision came to life. After 6 months of introducing Urban farmers to TSFRCBO, I was hired to continue engaging with the new intakes that reached out online and providing support to the Dallas surrounding area Urban farmers and gardeners. I’ve since evolved in that organization and in my own- Soilutions Holistic Agricultural Operations, NP

Arlana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the founder and CEO of Soilutions Holistic Agricultural Operations, NPO, an organization dedicated to promoting holistic healing of the mind, body, and Urban ecosystem through a garden-to-table initiative. Soilutions focuses on empowering the BIPOC community and urban ecosystem renewal, with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture practices. The core of my organization is educating and demonstrating the regenerative power of robust, living soil free of chemicals.
Drawing on my background in biology, clinical lab science and public health, I address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on food injustice. Originally a native of New Orleans, La. and an Army Veteran serving overseas, I witnessed the debilitating effects of poor nutrition, health and food disparity, and deteriorating ecosystems affected by heavy urbanization and conventional practices pushing production with the use of chemicals. The strong roots in farming and strong community values centered around food created a conflict within me. My parents were raised on the land in a very small rural town – Osyka, Mississippi. My grandparents were land wealthy and raised the family on the produce and livestock they managed on the land. My uncle are true black cowboys. My grandfather was black and Indian, Chickasaw Indian. I was forced to visit and stay on the farm during breaks in school. I really hated it back then but the seed was planted. I watched my parents dig up the yards in the city and grow vegetables. Presently, the BIPOC community sufferers with increasing rates of food insecurity, nutrition related diseases and disabilities, decreasing mortality rate. There and food swamps/food deserts in every neighborhood of color.
My education, life experiences, and authentic passion to mitigate change has positioned me to be a part of a revolutionary movement in food justice for my community. I have developed a garden curriculum and spearheaded a community garden initiative addressing food insecurity in South Oak Cliff. In this role, she I have collaborated with key organizations that supply research and propose funding specific to the community’s noted food and health disparity. As a Director of Farm Experience and most recently Farm Safety Auditor for Texas Small Farmers & Ranchers CBO, I am a part of a team of peer mentors that empowers underserved microfarmers and ranchers through bootcamps, panels, sustainable practice demonstrations, and statewide summits, equipping them to navigate and be impactful in their local food economy. In this role,
I support local Urban growers in their initiatives towards the food economy. Arlana Brumfield is the founder and CEO of Soilutions Holistic Agricultural Operations, NPO, an organization dedicated to promoting holistic healing of the mind, body, and Urban ecosystem through a garden-to-table initiative. Soilutions focuses on empowering the BIPOC community and urban ecosystem renewal, with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture practices. The core of her organization is educating and demonstrating the regenerative power of robust, living soil free of chemicals.
Drawing on her background in biology, clinical lab science and public health, Arlana addresses social determinants of health, with a particular focus on food injustice. Originally a native of New Orleans, La. and an Army Veteran serving overseas, Arlana has witnessed the debilitating effects of poor nutrition, health and food disparity, and deteriorating ecosystems affected by heavy urbanization and conventional practices pushing production with the use of chemicals. The strong roots in farming and strong community values centered around food created a conflict within Arlana. The BIPOC community suffered with increasing rates of food insecurity, nutrition related diseases and disabilities, decreasing mortality and food swamps or food deserts in every neighborhood of color.
Arlana’s education, life experiences, and authentic passion to mitigate change has positioned her to be a part of a revolutionary movement in food justice for the BIPOC community. Currently, Arlana serves as the Urban Ag’/Program Director for Feed the Streetz Outreach, NPO, where she oversees mass feeding events that serve 400 high-risk homeless and unsheltered individuals through a collaboration with North Texas Food Bank. She has developed a garden curriculum and spearheaded a community garden initiative addressing food insecurity in South Oak Cliff. In this role, she has collaborated with key collaborating organizations that supply research and propose funding specific to the community’s noted food and health disparity. As a Director of Farm Experience and most recently Farm Safety Auditor for Texas Small Farmers & Ranchers CBO, she and a team of peer mentors empowers BIPOC microfarmers and ranchers through bootcamps, panels, sustainable practice demonstrations, and statewide summits, equipping them to navigate and be impactful in their local food economy. This role allows me to support local Urban growers in their initiatives towards the food economy. In the next quarter, I will mentor and educate in Farm food safety practices allowing the growers to legitimize their enterprises as organic and contribute their harvest to the local food economy. As Soilutions Holistic Urban Farm I emulate and educate by demonstrating in real time as I grow produce at my home garden and in the farm which includes chickens, horses and in the future, rabbits and a few lambs. Collectively, these positions reflect alignment and anchor the empowerment of the BIPOC communities by addressing socioeconomic and health disparities, provide food access, and promote healing all with the regenerative power of the soil.
As Soilutions Holistic Urban Farm, my education platforms heavily integrate soil health and sustainable practices. On my social media platforms,,I share content that engages and highlights eating locally sources fresh food. I include content about raising chickens, and garden to table meal ideas. Unlike other local farm operations, I am to target the problem with education and action that will illuminate the communities relationship with food. I offer gardening workshops, the cohort, and consultations if one wants to grow on every level. The website is evolving to be a one stop source for all of Soilutions values and mission. It screens the potential Gardener and / or consumer and on what level they want to engage with Soilutions. On the events and calendar tab, workshops , volunteering, and community service opportunities in the farm is displayed. The workshops will include mental wellness, grounding, and meditation sessions. There will be planting, harvesting and farm work experiences, and there will certainly be educational workshops that are centered on STEM principles that are found in farming. Wether on social media or the website, I am creating a very educational experience to highlight farming and food sovereignty to becoming the new normal.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Presenting myself and the mission of Soilutions Holistic Agricultural Operations in many community events, speaking engagements, and being a vendor is apart of getting the word out in the market. It’s monumental to be authentic, passionate, and humble when showing up in the community. I offer what the community and audience is looking for and that may change but I remain consistent in these traits. I am here to serve not sell my services. That resonates with others and my reputation of being that way precedes me in the food justice and agriculture market.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

I would not. I had plans to be a Community health worker and run a business that tied cooking and catering to building strong family ties while still being healthy. I then wanted to evolve to becoming a Holistic practitioner that specialized in locally grown herbs and sourced essential oils. I am honored and pleased to show up with the same foundational principles to healing and food sovereignty that allows me to return to my roots, being a generational farmer, and staying connected to the land. I have found so much joy in this field AND I still can become a Holistic practitioner in my future. Now I can integrate the farm.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soilutionsholisticfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soilutionsholisticag?igsh=N2xjZnBpdjNjODQw
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18w2KGJ3cU/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlana-brumfield-b0a75464?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@soilutionsholisticfarm?si=e9L1muS5lqaa5xlD
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@soilutionsgardennfarming?_t=ZT-8vMLnp56EYw&_r=1

Image Credits

Royce photography