MEET THE FARMER: Amber Tamm

An Article from our partners Farmers Footprint

This bricolage of a profile and the perspective from which it grows is not often seen or shared in typical farming culture. We felt compelled to connect with her and share the work she is doing not only for this generation and future generations, but for the generations that came before us all…the original land stewards.

Amber’s farming story starts long before she first set foot on soil.

Amber believes all of the land farmed today has a story too which is why it is imperative to not stop the regenerative conversation at the soil but to dig down deeper and understand the history of the land on which we are farming today and how that has created injustices for young, black and indigenous farmers like her.

Today Amber speaks of the injustices still woven into the root systems of society and farming. She has yet to see a successful way to do regenerative agriculture as a young, black, female farmer, which honors the land, the people, giving low income communities access to fresh produce while also taking care of herself.

Minority kids come to learn and experience the urban farm and she would see their joyful hearts and hopeful eyes as they dug their hands into the soil. She could see in their excitement what comes from nurturing the land and what it produces, and yet her heart would sink because there isn’t a future or successful career in farming for them based on the current system. Amber is here to change it.

She feels most people think being a “farmer” means you own your own land and operation, but that’s not the case.

“I farm but I don’t own land. I don’t have the resources. There are racial injustices and obstacles in this system for any young, minority farmer to do so.”