We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ken Sparks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ken thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

One of the biggest trends that I am seeing is an increase in Urban Farms and community garden spaces. People are fighting for food equity by learning how to grow their own food in various spaces. One misconception is that you need a lot of space to grow food, which is not true. There are ways to maximize your growing space and I have helped others start their gardening and farming journey. There has also been an increase in grants and opportunities for Urban Farmers over the past few years. Hopefully this will strengthen the opportunity for more farms and community garden spaces to flourish.

Here in Los Angeles , there are communities with people experiencing food insecurity. In these areas, it becomes a challenge to find and afford fresh produce. Many areas are saturated with fast food restaurants and convivence stores, and very few grocery stores. The lack of food sources in these areas lead to unhealthy eating habits, which in turn leads to higher risk of health complications, illnesses and diseases. This has a long lasting effect on life expectancy. These issues became expounded due to the pandemic.

Urban Farmers help combat these issues by providing a source of local, fresh produce that isn’t imported from another region.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a farmer, garden consultant, columnist and educator with a Master of Education and 35 years gardening experience. I am the owner of The Farmer Ken, USDA CDFA registered organic farm in Southern California.

Gardening has always been a special part of my family. My journey started in Ohio at age 5 with my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. I grew gardens throughout my youth, which built my foundation. While at The Ohio State University, I was a recipient of a USDA Scholarship. I was active in The College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and served as President of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences). I worked with a Landscape Specialist at The Cleveland Metroparks, which gave me insight on creative ways to utilize plants. As one of my humanities projects, I took the initiative on starting a community Garden in an under-resourced neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. I was elated by the impact that the garden had on the community and I wanted to continue having a greater impact with more communities .

I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Major in African-American Studies, Minor in Music and Minor in Natural Resources. I relocated to Chicago, where I received a Master of Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. I have implemented community gardens and have been able to help under-resourced communities and families in Ohio, Illinois and now Los Angeles.

After the passing of my Grandmother from a long battle with cancer, my passion reignited stronger than ever before. This served as the catalyst to launch my company, The Farmer Ken. The farm has been my source of therapy, of healing. On the farm I grow fruit, vegetables flowers and herbs following sustainable practices . I grow a lot of unique cultivars of crops on the farm and grow year-round. There is also a flock of chickens with several breeds.

When people hear farmer, there is an assumption that all I do is tend to the land and sell fruit and vegetables. This Is not the case. The business is multifaceted, with many services aside from providing produce.

Education is one component. I am currently teaching Urban Agriculture as part of a USDA funded Harvesting Healthy Habits program through a collaboration with USDA, CSULB Center for Latino Health and Adventures to Dreams Enrichment. I also provide garden training and technical support to community gardens, organizations and various clientele. It is rewarding to exchange knowledge and experiences to help others on their gardening journey.

I provide fresh, organically grown produce from the farm to Food Banks, Farmer’s Markets, chefs and clients in the greater Los Angeles area. This helps fulfill one of my goals to help towards food equity.

I also write gardening columns for several publications to provide others with tools and resources to start their own gardens. Some of my features can be found online in RoundGlass Magazine and Garrett Wade.

Social media partnerships have also been an important element as I continue to grow. Over the years, I have developed partnerships with companies and businesses , in which I conduct product trials, review, and share my experiences.

The farm has been featured on Good Morning America, USDA Farmers. gov, LA Times, San Diego Tribune, Trip Advisor, ABC7 News, Modern Farmer Magazine, Hobby Farms, and several other outlets.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Having multiple streams of income is important for sustainability. Income from consultations, teaching, agritourism, produce sales, and social media partnerships has helped, especially when some sources of income have a slow return. For instance, Farmer’s Markets have proven to be inconsistent and external variables impact sales. This past winter was soggy and cool, which lead to slower market attendance and lower sales, and before that, they intense heat lead to low market attendance. Securing contracts and longer term clientele are more sustainable.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My social media audience happened organically. I did not invest in a social media company , manager, or publicist. For me, It started in late 2019 when I created my Farm account on Instagram. I began to gain followers in 2020 as the pandemic started and people were starting their home gardens. In summer 2020, I was referred by a friend and featured in Voyage LA Magazine, followed by being filmed by LA TIMES and featured in the newspaper. When my LA Times feature aired, other outlets throughout the country shared and my following tripled. Other various outlets then began to reach out for interviews, which in turn created even more exposure. All of this lead to partnerships and other opportunities. My biggest following is on Instagram , but I also have a following on TikTok and Facebook. I maintain a presence by sharing my farm journey through reels, stories lives, and posts. I share challenges, successes, and farm/ garden tips.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.linktree.com/thefarmerken
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/farmerkenofficial

Image Credits
PHOTO 2: Photo by Brooke Raffaele, FSA