Why some Black women are trying to defy the odds of farm ownership

Clarenda Stanley put in countless hours climbing the career ladder in the world of fundraising.

Clarenda Stanley put in countless hours climbing the career ladder in the world of fundraising. So when she decided to ditch her keyboard for a shovel and some seed on her very own farm, her family wasn’t fully on board at first. 

“They thought I'd lost my mind initially, a few of them thought that it was going to be just something cute like a little side hustle or hobby,” Stanley said. 

Even though she came from a long line of farmers and grew up on a farm herself, she said her family always viewed her white collar job as a much better option than the pastoral life. 

But Stanley wanted a change.

Clarenda Stanley.Courtesy Clarenda StanleyThat’s when she had the idea for Green Heffa Farms, now a successful tea and herbal-blend business, named in honor of her quick witted grandmother Charity Mae. Stanley has been growing flowers, herbs, teas and other medicinal plants all with the goal of healing, on her own farm in Liberty, North Carolina, since 2018.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-women-are-trying-defy-odds-farm-ownership-rcna39105

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