In the fight against systemic community challenges—from rampant food deserts and health disparities to expanding environmental injustices—some choose to fight through policy, while others fight through the soil. On the latest episode of Erika Sugarmon Unfiltered, Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon sat down with a visionary Memphis duo who decided the most radical way to fight back was to literally plant roots: Bobby and Derravia Rich, founders of Black Seeds Urban Farms.

The couple is turning vacant urban lots into vibrant sources of life, showing local residents how to quite literally grow their own power.

From a Grandfather’s Backyard to Tens of Thousands of Pounds

The inspiration for Black Seeds Urban Farms runs deep, tracing its lineage directly back to South Memphis. Derravia Rich, a native of the Magnolia Castelia community (a neighborhood Commissioner Sugarmon also proudly calls home), watched her community face decades of declining access to fresh food.

"I come from a family who loves to eat good home-cooked food," Derravia shared. "My grandfather farmed, and his father was a farmer. I grew up my whole life with fresh fruit grown right in my backyard."

When she realized that most of Memphis didn't share that effortless access to fresh produce, a mission was born. Her husband, Bobby Rich—a former Memphis city firefighter of nearly eight years and a graduate of the UT Extension Master Gardener program—began revitalizing her late grandfather's backyard lot. What started as a personal hobby growing cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes quickly turned into a neighborhood necessity.

"Before I knew it, family, church members, other firefighters, and community members were calling us like we were a grocery store," Derravia laughed. Utilizing her background in business administration and strategic planning, she drafted a business plan. Today, Black Seeds is celebrating its fifth year.

Bobby has scaled his expertise even further, now also operating as a market farm manager for Alpha Omega Veterans Services (AOVS) Urban Farms, where he helps produce tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce annually—feeding homeless military veterans and supplying local bakeries, restaurants, and farmers markets.

Redefining the Urban Palate: Okra, Blackberries, and Zero Carbon Footprints

Black Seeds operates as a vital community hub located on North Fourth Street, alongside Mia’s Orchard—a dedicated fruit production space boasting blackberries, pears, peaches, and muscadines.

For the founders, urban farming is about sensory re-education. "City folk need to know what sustainability looks like in an urban setting," Bobby explained. "The front yard is still the earth itself. We encourage people to think globally, act locally."

The impact on local youth has been profound. In a world of processed convenience foods, Black Seeds has neighborhood children clamoring for something unexpected. "We have six, seven, eight-year-old kids begging for pickled okra and looking for preserves," Derravia noted proudly. By reintroducing heirloom varieties of organically grown fruits and vegetables, free of toxic chemicals and sprays, they are shifting local food culture.

Beyond health, the model proves that hyper-local agricultural systems are a massive win for the planet. Because the food is grown, harvested, and distributed right in the neighborhood, the carbon footprint of shipping food across the global supply chain is completely eliminated.

Cultivating the Next Generation of Growers

For those convinced they don't have the space or the skill—a sentiment Commissioner Sugarmon admitted to sharing—Bobby offers simple advice: Start small, start with what you actually eat, and use what you have. "You can grow from as small as container bags on a patio or an east-facing window," Bobby suggested, highlighting his "Mr. Use-What-You-Got" methodology of utilizing spent burlap coffee sacks from local shops like Coffee Black to grow sweet potatoes and potatoes. "Enjoy it. It should be fun. It's a road to independence."

Black Seeds offers both cohort-style and one-on-one training sessions covering everything from basic backyard gardening to high-level ethnobotany. Driven by her 27 years as an educator, Commissioner Sugarmon pledged during the episode to coordinate field trips for local elementary school students to visit the farm, ensuring the next generation learns what real, healthy food tastes like.

Connecting the Soil to the Ballot Box: A Civic Call to Action

As the episode drew to a close, Commissioner Sugarmon seamlessly connected the agricultural independence championed by Black Seeds to the broader systemic issues of political representation in Tennessee.

Detailing the recent controversial redistricting of Shelby County, Sugarmon explained how District 9 was divided or "cracked" into three separate congressional districts (Districts 5, 8, and 9) by the state's legislative supermajority.

"They packed us together in the '60s so we'd have fewer representatives, and now they are cracking us apart," Sugarmon warned. "It affects how resources are sent to Shelby County and why so many local farmers are losing their land. That is why we hold the power at the ballot box."

Sugarmon urged all listeners to treat June as a critical voter registration month, reminding the community to check their voter status, double-check their newly assigned congressional districts, research judicial and local candidates, and explicitly request secure paper ballots at the polls.

Tap In and Support Local Growth

Toward the end of the broadcast, Commissioner Sugarmon announced her intention to formally honor Bobby and Derravia Rich at an upcoming Shelby County Commission meeting for their five years of tireless, once-unrecognized service to the city.