Phylos has partnered with the National Black Farmers Association and the Oregon State University to supply 1 million hemp seeds to BIPOC farmers without capital investmest.
"It is important to us to continue efforts like our hemp seed donation program to level a systemically unbalanced playing field and we encourage other companies to do the same," said Ralph Risch, Phylos CEO. "What we are doing is just a small step to counter the disproportionate impacts of the war on drugs on underrepresented communities and the special debt the cannabis industry owes to people of color. We will continue to support organizations like The National Black Farmers Association to provide more opportunities to expand the Cannabis business community."
"Black farmers, multigenerational farms are hesitant about hemp even as medicinal or wellness use," says John Wesley Boyd, Jr., founder and president of National Black Farmers Association. "Understanding the benefit of CBD as an opioid alternative is a personal family success. These seeds give our community an educational opportunity and a fun way to learn how to cultivate, teaching about the different end uses, and taking away the stigma of growing cannabis. Using seed from a vetted seed supplier reduces the risks associated with growing a new crop."
BIPOC communities have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and subsequently have been prevented from achieving the levels of participation and prosperity of those that are now dominating the legal cannabis industry. Recognizing the significant financial barriers to entry, this program will provide an opportunity to historically underrepresented communities of color that would not have the capital to enter the market otherwise. Hemp is an emerging crop that calls for additional agronomic support, which is why Phylos chose to partner with the Oregon State University's Global Hemp Innovation Center and other academic institutions including Alabama A&M University, a member of the Historically Black College and University community, for this program.
For more information:
Phylos
www.phylos.bio
Stefanie Henning
[email protected]
951-433-0172