Heirloom Gardens Oral History Project
The Heirloom Gardens Oral History Project is a collaboration of Princeton University, Spelman College, and the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance to collect oral histories of people who have worked to preserve Black and Indigenous seed and foodways through the Southeastern United States and Appalachia. Working across six sites over two years, students and faculty will work with communities to interview and archive the stories of farmers, gardeners, chefs, community organizers, local historians and others who have been actively sustaining rich farming, culinary, and medicinal traditions.
Listen to the Interviews
The Heirloom Gardens Oral History Project is a collaboration between Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, Princeton University, and Spelman College. The project documents stories of people who have been working to preserve Black and Indigenous seed and foodways. This link will take you to the Robert W. Woodruff Library at the Atlanta University Center, where the first set of oral interviews are currently archived.
The Seed Farm at Princeton
Located at the Stony Ford Research Station, the main farm is a center for local, ecological research that is managed by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. The Seed Farm sits on 3.5 acres of land where we grow rare, culturally-meaningful seed crops with community partners and pursue relevant research questions about the art and science of heirloom plants. Students, scholars, and community partners come together to learn from each other.
A vibrant ecosystem of relationships makes our work possible. We are grateful that our work is supported by many generous people and organizations including our community partners: the Experimental Farm Network, Munsee Three Sisters Medicinal Farm, and the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance.