Family farm feeds underserved urban communities

Every human deserves access to fresh, healthy food, and luckily, Oregon has an excellent climate for growing a large variety of vegetables and fruits. Located in Portland, Cultivated Roots is a small, black-owned urban farm focused on organically grown vegetables and herbs distributed and donated to feed the greater community.

Chris Hamilton’s family has a longtime connection to the land, starting with his grandfather, a farmer from Mississippi. Chris’s parents moved from Chicago to Oregon in the 1970s and worked for the forest service in Tiller before settling down to start their family in Medford. Growing up, he remembers having a large garden. “It’s something my dad has always done: growing food and giving it to his friends and neighbors,” Chris says. “My brother and I were out there all the time, working alongside our parents, playing and snacking on fresh vegetables.”

Chris was re-entering the workforce in 2019 after six years of being a stay-at-home dad when he learned about Pathways to Farming and knew it was the right opportunity. A collaboration between Oregon Food Bank and black-owned farming enterprise Mudbone Grown, the program supports BIPOC farmers and teaches them the ropes of entrepreneurship to start and grow a farming business. “You put in your time and energy, and they provide land, resources, tools and training,” Chris explains. The program is typically three years long and Chris was two years in when he started Cultivated Roots in 2021. “It seemed like a great option to help feed my family, and now we’re proud to be feeding the community as well.”

Cultivated Roots operates primarily off grant funding and partnerships, and in return they provide subsidized CSAs — community-supported agriculture — to local food pantries. It started when Mudbone Grown was looking to support black educators at KairosPDX, a local nonprofit that delivers equitable education to underserved communities. “There’s a lot of people experiencing food insecurity in this area,” says Chris. “I started going to KairosPDX once a week and bringing an assortment of fresh produce with tote bags for people to take home.”

After that, the farm secured funds through the food bank to bring free CSAs to the people of northeast Portland, starting with Prescott Elementary. They’ve collaborated with various schools, food banks, pantries and other Pathways farmers to feed families throughout the community.

Chris plants his crops on Mudbone Grown property in Corbett and, in the past, at Unity Farm next to the food bank. This year, they are working to assemble raised beds in the Hamilton’s yard at their home in the Parkrose neighborhood. Vegetables and herbs are their specialties, and this year’s crop plan includes a delicious variety of sustainably cultivated peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, kale, lettuce, broccoli, onions, carrots, beets, turnips, pumpkins, cilantro and more.

As providers to a diverse community, Cultivated Roots grows culturally specific items as much as possible. “We’ve done bok choy, collard greens and different types of garlic,” Chris says. “There’s something for everyone.” Occasionally, they offer seasonal fresh fruit harvested from other farms or out in the wild.

An entirely family-run organization, the team at Cultivated Roots includes Chris, his wife Kerry, and his daughter Mia, who is already learning how to grow food and be self-sufficient. Currently working as a full-time consultant during the day, farming is a labor of love for Chris. “It’s a lot of hard work,” he says. “But helping people, having the peace of mind of knowing where my food comes from, and just being able to walk outside and put my hands in the dirt makes it all worth it.”

Chris believes urban agriculture is the future of farming, and his business represents a reimagining of what it means to be a farmer. “You don’t have to own a huge property or use a bunch of fancy machinery,” he says. “It’s people growing their own food in whatever space they’re given and using regenerative practices to stay in tune with the natural world.” The Hamilton family is forever grateful for the support Cultivated Roots has received both in and out of the Pathways to Farming program. “There’s been a lot of love. We’re so thankful for all we’ve been given and to have that opportunity to help others, it means everything to us.”

To support, partner, or collaborate with Cultivated Roots, visit their website at www.cultivatedroots.org