Meet the Memphis Woman Who’s Growing More Than Food
Black Seeds Urban Farms is a place where food, people, and purpose grow together. Meet the woman who is using agriculture as a tool to strengthen communities, one small seed at a time! Image: Facebook
Derravia Rich never expected agriculture to become her path. But what began as a chance to nurture a family garden has grown into Black Seeds Urban Farms, a local food movement bringing fresh, organic food to Memphis neighborhoods. Alongside her husband, Bobby, Derravia has built something that reaches far beyond the garden, creating a place where food, education, culture, wellness, and community come together. We talked to Derravia about food access, her connection to the land, and what she hopes Black Seeds can mean for Memphis.
What are some of your earliest memories of gardening?
Spending time with my grandfather in the garden of my childhood home. He loved growing food and caring for plants. I have fond memories of watching him tend his garden with excitement and intention while my siblings, cousins, and I played nearby in the backyard.
Those memories have stayed with me and, looking back, have planted some of the earliest seeds for my own connection to the land and growing food.
Black Seeds has become much more than a place to grow vegetables. Why was it important to you and Bobby to go beyond a traditional farm?
Because the community needs more than food. People need spaces where they feel welcomed, connected, inspired, and safe. Bobby and I never wanted Black Seeds to simply be a place where we grew vegetables and sold produce. We wanted children to run through the garden, families to learn together, artists to feel inspired, neighbors to gather, and people to experience the peace that comes from being surrounded by nature.
What does “food sovereignty” mean to you?
Food sovereignty means having the ability to participate in the decisions surrounding your food — what is grown, where it comes from, how it is produced, and whether your family can access it.
There is something incredibly powerful about a community having the knowledge and resources to help feed itself. Food sovereignty is not simply having food available; it is having ownership, knowledge, choice, and dignity within our food system.
What do you wish more Memphians understood about where their food comes from and who has access to it?
I wish more people understood that food access is not equal. Two families can live only a few miles apart and have completely different experiences when it comes to finding affordable, fresh, nutritious food.
I also want people to recognize the work behind their food. Before something reaches a grocery store or restaurant, someone planted, nurtured, harvested, transported, and distributed it. When we support local growers, we shorten that distance and strengthen our local food economy at the same time.
Black Seeds also celebrates the agricultural traditions of Black communities. What particular foods, growing traditions, or stories connect you to that history?
Agriculture is deeply connected to my lineage. For generations, Black families have used the land not only for survival but also for independence, nourishment, community, and tradition. There is so much knowledge that has been passed down through what our families grew, cooked, preserved, and shared.
For me, growing food is a way of honoring that history while creating a new relationship with agriculture for the next generation. I want our daughter and the young people who visit Black Seeds to understand that agriculture is part of our story — and they have every right to see themselves as growers, land stewards, entrepreneurs, scientists, and leaders within it.
Can you share a story or a moment that illustrates the impact Black Seeds is having in Memphis?
Some of the most meaningful moments are actually the simplest ones. It is a child pulling something from the ground and realizing, for the first time, that their food doesn’t originate at the grocery store. It’s a neighbor stopping by and asking Bobby if he can grow a particular vegetable next season.
It’s watching someone return to the farm because they felt welcomed the first time they visited. Those moments remind me that impact isn’t always measured by how many pounds of food we grow. Sometimes, impact is changing someone’s relationship with food, land, or even their own community.
You and Bobby are partners in both marriage and business. What have you learned about each other through building Black Seeds together?
I have learned our differences are actually one of our greatest strengths. Bobby is the grower. He can look at a plant and tell you what it needs, and he has an incredible connection to the land. I naturally gravitate toward strategy, partnerships, programming, operations, and figuring out how we take an idea and build a sustainable structure around it.
We challenge each other, but we also balance each other. Building Black Seeds together has taught us an entirely different level of partnership. At the end of the day, we are husband and wife first, and I think the love we have for our family and each other shows up in what we’ve built.
What do you do when you are not busy with Black Seeds?
My work extends into community development, environmental justice, sustainability, education, and advocacy. I enjoy being involved in spaces where decisions are being made about the future of Memphis, particularly when those conversations involve our neighborhoods, environment, food systems, and quality of life.
But my most important roles will always be wife, mother, and member of my family. No matter how many meetings are on my calendar, family keeps everything in perspective.
If you could plant one “seed” in every Memphis neighborhood, what would you want that seed to grow into?
I would plant the seed of ownership in every Memphis neighborhood — the understanding that residents have the power to shape what happens in their communities. Ownership of our food systems, our land, our health, our stories, and our futures.
I would want that seed to grow into communities where people don’t simply wait for change to arrive; they have the resources, knowledge, confidence, and collective power to cultivate it themselves.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten, and from whom?
My grandmother always taught me to keep my head up, both literally and figuratively. My family and I would often joke about the saying, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized just how deeply it applies to so many aspects of my life. Keeping my head up means remaining confident in who I am, staying grounded in my purpose, and continuing to move forward even when circumstances are difficult.
It reminds me not to allow challenges, disappointment, or uncertainty to make me lose sight of where I’m going. It was simple advice, but it has become a principle I carry with me in life, leadership, family, and everything I pursue.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Favorite veggie? Any greens. Bobby is the Brassica king, but I also really enjoy eating cabbage and broccoli.
Favorite fruit? Ripe strawberries and blackberries.
Bucket list vacation? Africa and the Amalfi Coast.
Favorite place to eat out in Memphis? The Four Way Grill and Art House Café.
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Gaye Swan
As a professional writer of over 20 years, Gaye is an avid traveler and enjoys highlighting food, culture, and attractions around the South. While Gaye is passionate about life in Memphis, she grew up in Meridian and is still a Mississippi girl at heart.