UK’s first black farmers’ market is back for Black History Month

The UK’s first black farmers’ market is back for another year, selling home-grown produce to the community in celebration of Black History Month.

Growers will be setting up in Brixton Station Road on Sunday from 10am.

Entrepreneur Natasha Pencil, founder of Taino, has been selling her own Caribbean-inspired small batch condiments since 2018.

Often popping up in Brixton Market, she found herself speaking with other entrepreneurs, usually women and people of colour, with the same complaints about a lack of investment, resources and publicity for their businesses. 

A study from the The British Ecological Society revealed that people of colour make up only 4.81 per cent of environmental professionals compared to 12.64 per cent of the overall UK workforce.

Taking matters into her own hands, Ms Pencil organised Black Farmers Market to showcase talented food growers from the black community. 

This year, there will be live cookery demonstrations, free workshops, natural balm making and herbalism workshops, terrarium making, face and flower printing for children as well as street family Zumba.

This will all be followed by a closing party at Pop Brixton until 11pm.

The social enterprise has received funding from organisations such as the Brixton Business Improvement District, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Farmerama Radio and Impact on Urban Health. 

Ms Pencil won a 2023 Charles Gordon Trust Award in the category of Businesswoman Excellence for her community work at the Black Farmers Market.

Lambeth councillor Donatus Anyanwu said: “Lambeth council is delighted to be welcoming back the Black Farmers Market to Brixton, helping to secure this area’s important legacy as the first home of the Windrush generation”.

Pictured top: Traders at last year’s Black Farmers Market in Brixton (Picture: Black Rootz)