Building Black Food Power Together: A New Agribusiness Co-op Academy Comes to West Virginia

By Black By God: The West Virginian

A new program launching in early 2026 is asking Black farmers, food workers, and entrepreneurs in West Virginia to think beyond survival and toward something many communities have long been building quietly: shared ownership.

The Freedom Project Agribusiness Co-op Academy, led by NEW WV in partnership with the Keystone Development Center, will run from January 19 through March 14, 2026, bringing together people interested in agriculture, food systems, and cooperative food businesses. The goal is simple but ambitious — to help Black-led food projects grow stronger by growing together.

For many Black farmers and food entrepreneurs, the barriers are familiar: limited access to land, capital, and markets, paired with rising costs and fragile supply chains. Cooperative models have historically offered another way forward, allowing people to pool resources, share decision-making, and build businesses rooted in community rather than extraction. This Academy is designed to make those models practical and possible in today’s food economy.

The training series is open to existing cooperatives, food-based businesses considering shared ownership, farmers and growers, and groups exploring cooperative structures. Sessions will take place on Mondays and Saturdays, a schedule meant to work around planting seasons, market days, and full-time jobs. Organizers encourage each participating project to involve at least three members, reinforcing the idea that cooperative work is, by design, collective.

What sets this Academy apart is its emphasis on sustained learning rather than one-off workshops. Participants will have time to build relationships, wrestle with real challenges, and apply what they’re learning to their own food and agriculture projects. It’s about creating space to move from ideas to action, together.

In West Virginia, where Black communities have long grown food and sustained local economies despite systemic barriers, the timing feels especially important. As conversations around food access, land retention, and economic resilience continue to grow, this Academy offers a grounded path for people ready to build something lasting.

Organizers are currently collecting interest through an online form as they finalize curriculum details and participation logistics. Anyone curious about participating or learning more is encouraged to register and share the opportunity within their networks.