April’s Food Justice Hero: Booker T. Whatley

1915 - 2005

food pioneer   l   horticulturalist   l   educator

 The Pioneer Behind The Modern CSA Concept & Numerous Other Sustainable Farming Practices

Booker T. Whatley was the oldest of twelve children and was born in Alabama in 1915. From a young age, he was passionate about food production and land stewardship. He earned a doctorate in horticulture from Rutgers University after graduating with a degree in agriculture and serving in Japan during the Korean War, where he used hydroponics to safely grow food for US troops. 

After that, Dr. Whatley want back to school and graduated with a law degree at the age of 73. Dr. Whatley set out to improve and popularize regenerative agriculture while also boosting profits for small-scale food producers in the 1960s and 1970s because he saw a strong link between political decision-making and self-sustaining land ownership. He began advocating for different ways farms can generate profits and attract customers particularly given that crucial federal assistance was frequently denied to Black farmers.

One of Dr. Whatley’s ways of self sustainment was the importance of what he called a Clientele Membership Club. Members of this club paid an initial membership fee which contributed to the success of the farm. In return, they received fresh produce that they would pick themselves. This ensured a constant cash flow into the farm while saving on time and labor. He identified this as an essential aspect of a successful farm in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Today this idea is commonly referred to as Pick-Your Own (or U-Pick) and was the jumping off point for the onset of community supported agriculture (CSA) which is becoming more popular as the local food movement continues to grow.

 Food growers are able to make use of the resources they already possess through the CSA and PYO models, resulting in relationships with their surrounding communities that will last a lifetime. Tragically, Dr. Whatley's ground-breaking philosophy and methods were largely ignored for many decades, as was the case with numerous contributions made by Black Americans throughout history. If even a small number of his novel strategies were implemented over the course of the past six decades, the national and local food systems of today would drastically alter their appearance.