Getting Back to Nature

Getting Back to Nature(tm) @ Martin Acres is unique. It is a collaboration by twin brothers, Obiora (EConsulting(tm)) and Irucka Ajani Embry (EcoC2S). The twins are creating a diverse, food ecosystem on two acres of their eighth-generation, black-owned family farm, Martin Acres, in southwestern Kentucky. Like Dr. George Carver, Obiora and Irucka are doing a common activity in an uncommon way. They are weekend food growers who do little to no watering (even in times of drought) and are re-envisioning their concept of food (over 30, 000 species of plants worldwide are edible), especially "southern food." The diverse crops that they forage and grow are primarily perennial plants indigenous to Turtle Island.

Although Obiora and Irucka are twins they have developed similar, but different ideologies and methodologies for growing food and they work together and separately to improve the health of the soil on their two acres. They know that with fertile soil that the harvested plants will be healthier as well as themselves and whomever else consumes their diverse artisanal products.

As engineers by training with a knack for developing and understanding systems, the brothers are transforming the former barren land into different ecosystems and working with Nature to put the plants in the right location based primarily on where they would be found in the wild. This too, adds to the twins doing "a common activity in an uncommon way." Obiora and Irucka, like other food growers, are experimenting and learning from their mistakes while helping to educate their family and others about the biodiversity of indigenous plants, as well as their varied uses (then and now).