Farris "Kwabena" III is a Black father, natural builder, farmer, and acupuncturist with five years of experience in small-scale, regenerative vegetable farming in DC and Maryland. He has a diverse background in natural healing, community building, and youth education. He holds a BS in Applied Psychology from Georgia Tech and a Master of Acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Originally from Georgia where he often helped in his mother's backyard garden, he moved to Maryland to study acupuncture and holistic health and started OurSpace Acupuncture, OurSpace World's first community initiative. As part of OurSpace’s organizational shift, he completed several training, internship, and volunteer experiences to develop skills in farming and natural building. These include: the Earthship Biotecture Academy in Taos, New Mexico (2017 graduate), the ECO City Farms Beginning Farmer Training Program (2018 graduate and Bladensburg farm intern), the University of the District of Columbia’s College of Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences Ward 5 aquaponic demonstration project (volunteer & intern), the Washington DC Neighborhood Farm Initiative’s Mamie D. Lee garden (community garden plot volunteer), and Earth-Bound Building (EBB), a worker-owned construction cooperative in Brandywine, Maryland that designs and builds ecological, affordable, and functional homes and farm infrastructure for rural landowners and farmers (part-time worker-owner for 2 years). |