Venture Farming Institute seeks to grow Connecticuts BIPOC farmers NBC Connecticut [Video]

A farming education program here in Connecticut is assisting Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) who are farmers just breaking into the profession.  It’s in its second year and those associated with it say it’s moving the needle in diversifying the field of farming in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“I would say, Freedom, this has all been an experiment,” said Alexis Perrin, a grower in East Hampton as she brought her former instructor around her small homestead.

She sits on roughly an acre set back in the woods. It’s where she has decided to get into the growing game more seriously.

“It was a bit of a hobby that has turned into a bit of a passion,” Perrin said.

She moved from New York City to Connecticut a few years back with her partner during the pandemic. But her love for growing flowers goes back to her roots. Her …