In this episode of Secure the Soil, Temu Martin sits down with Janet, a food justice organizer, writer, and community advocate from Southeast Los Angeles, for a deep conversation on food justice, urban agriculture, environmental justice, policy, and community power in LA.

Janet shares how her journey began through environmental justice work, learning about decolonizing the diet, and understanding how food, land, health, policy, and systemic inequality are all connected. Together, we explore how government systems shape what communities have access to, why urban agriculture must be taken seriously in city and county policy, and how everyday people can organize to hold institutions accountable.

This conversation is about more than food. It is about land, health, environmental justice, community healing, and the fight to create systems that actually serve the people most impacted by them.

Topics covered:
Food justice, urban agriculture, decolonizing diets, environmental justice, LA County food policy, community gardens, land access, public accountability, Southeast Los Angeles, food equity, and building power from the ground up.

Subscribe to Secure the Soil for conversations on food systems, land access, agriculture, policy, and the future of community-led change in California.

Takeaways

• Navigating California's Land Equity Ecosystem
• Understanding the Ecosystem Around Land Equity

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to the Land Equity Ecosystem
• 06:05 Challenges and Nuances of Accessing the System
• 11:07 Identifying Entry Points and Mapping Resources
• 23:23 Utilizing the Information and Building Leverage
• 38:39 Building a Movement and Supporting the Work

In Part 2 of this conversation, Tekoah takes us deeper into the story of Allensworth — not just as a historic Black town, but as a living blueprint for land ownership, economic development, and community-led innovation in California.

We explore how the Allensworth Progressive Association is working to reclaim land, build sustainable economic systems, and create real pathways for multi-generational community ownership. This episode goes beyond preservation — it’s about activation, strategy, and building a future rooted in justice.

Tekoah also breaks down the real barriers standing in the way: policy challenges, limited access to capital, and long-standing systems that were never built for equitable land control. But alongside those realities, we highlight the solutions — collaboration, organizing, and community-driven models that are opening new doors for food justice and land equity.

If you’re interested in Allensworth history, Black land ownership, California agriculture, food justice, and community development, this episode connects the past to the present and shows why Allensworth still matters today.

Part 2 is about resilience, execution, and building something that lasts. 🌱

In this episode of Secure the Soil, we trace the roots of California’s agricultural system through Allensworth, one of the state’s first self-sustaining Black towns, founded by Colonel Allen Allensworth. Built on land ownership, self-determination, and economic independence, Allensworth was more than a town — it was a bold vision for what freedom could look like when Black communities had access to land and the power to shape their own future.

I’m joined by TK Kadoura, Associate Director of the Allensworth Progressive Association, for a conversation about how that legacy continues to echo through California’s modern food system. Together, we explore what Allensworth can teach us about land access, community development, and the possibility of building a more equitable agricultural future.

We also talk about the role of farming as an economic engine, the realities of building with land, and why historic models still matter when we’re imagining what comes next.

This episode lays the groundwork for a bigger conversation: not just where California’s food system comes from, but where it can go.

Secure the Soil is a platform dedicated to turning land policy, history, and lived experience into actionable insight — bridging communities, farmers, and the systems that shape how we grow, share, and sustain food.

In this episode of Secure the Soil, we sit down with Nelson Hawkins—Chair of the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force and founder of the Ujamaa Farmer Collective—to break down what it really takes to secure land in today’s agricultural system.

From building a collective that secured public funding to helping shape statewide policy, Nelson shares how farmers and communities can move from being landless to landowners. We dive into the Task Force recommendations, land access strategies, and the real opportunities emerging in what many are calling a once-in-a-generation land transfer.

This conversation bridges the gap between policy and practice—showing how land, power, and wealth are all connected.

If you’re a farmer, advocate, or someone looking to access land, funding, or influence in the food system, this episode gives you the blueprint. the convo was so good we had to split it in two

Takeaways

• Community engagement is crucial for shaping policy recommendations
• The California Agricultural Land Task Force aims to address land equity issues and protect agricultural land from conversion to development

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Secure the Soil Podcast
• 08:36 Land Equity Crisis in California
• 17:16 Composition and Goals of the Task Force
• 25:04 Subcommittees and Community Outreach
• 30:29 Submission of Task Force Report

Takeaways

• Grassroots approach
• Urban agroecology
• AI utilization
• Accessing resources for community development

Chapters

• 00:00 Accessing Resources for Community Development

We back. 🌱

Episode 1 we drew the blueprint.. now we build the foundation

In Episode 2 we break down all 3 keys — the real framework for how everyday people get positioned for the California Agricultural Reset. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just real talk about what the experts are actually saying and how WE apply it.

We getting into all of it:

🌱 Key 1 — Grassroots Strategy Start where you are. Your block. Your vacant lot. Your community. Urban AgroEcology is real and it's one of the most powerful entry points we got. You don't need acres. You need consistency.

🤖 Key 2 — Leverage AI Educate. Innovate. Implement. AI ain't just for tech bros — it's a tool and it's time WE pick it up. We breaking down exactly how to use it for grants, business plans, advocacy, and more.

💰 Key 3 — Use Other People's Money This might be the most slept on key. The grants, the federal programs, the state allocations — the money already exists. Our communities just haven't been told where to look. We changing that.

And we set up exactly what's coming in Episode 3 — because that's when we go straight to the source. The Task Force. The recommendations. The real roadmap.

If you slept on Episode 1 go back and watch it first. Then lock in here.

🎙️ Secure The Soil | Kingdom Come Agriculture

#SecureTheSoil #Episode2 #The3Keys #LandEquity #FoodJustice #CaliforniaAgriculture #LandReset #GrassrootsMovement #LeverageAI #KingdomComeAgriculture #LosAngeles #CommunityFirst #BlackAgriculture #UrbanFarming

This is where it starts. Episode 1 is the foundation — who this show is for, why we built it, and why RIGHT NOW is unlike any moment we've seen in California's food system history.

The Great Agricultural Reset is not coming. It's already here. Land is shifting. Policies are moving. And most of our communities don't even know it's happening.

In this episode we break down what the reset actually is, why it matters for everyday people — not just landowners and policy insiders — and how WE can get into position before the window closes.

We also introduce the 3 keys. The framework that experts keep coming back to when they talk about how regular people get in the game:

🔑 Start grassroots — where you are, with what you have 🤖 Leverage AI — educate, innovate, implement 💰 Use Other People's Money — the resources already exist

This is the beginning of the movement. If you don't watch anything else — watch this first.

🎙️ Secure The Soil | Kingdom Come Agriculture