Bigger Than Food Foundation and Langston University’s Sherman Lewis School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Team Up to Strengthen Oklahoma Agriculture and Advance Food Sovereignty in Rural Communities


OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — August 8, 2025 — Bigger Than Food Foundation and Langston University’s Sherman Lewis School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences are teaming up with intentional purpose: to strengthen Oklahoma’s agriculture industry and empower rural communities with the tools, skills, and ownership needed to control their own food future.


This partnership expands Bigger Than Food Foundation’s existing Growing for Good health and wellness initiative to a 13-acre community-led agritourism farm in Spencer, Oklahoma where residents grow culturally relevant crops, run farm-based enterprises, and make decisions together.


Langston University will bring its strength in agricultural education, business planning, research, and grant access to scale Growing for Good. Students and faculty will be in the field alongside community growers tracking impact, building market strategies, and aligning production with independent food entrepreneurs and aging seniors experiencing food insecurity.


“This partnership is about capability, dignity, and economic participation,” said Apollo Woods, Executive Director of the Bigger Than Food Foundation. “Langston University shares our belief that communities closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.”


Bigger Than Food has already trained more than 20 growers at its Oklahoma City community garden and is currently in harvest season with watermelon, cantaloupe, and okra ready to deliver to existing distribution partners in Northeast Oklahoma City. With Langston’s Sherman Lewis School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences as a strategic partner, the goal is to train over 100 urban and rural growers, produce 100,000 pounds of naturally grown produce, and through data-driven research, influence positive health outcomes in food insecure communities by 2030.


President Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson stated in her official appointment announcement on Langston University’s website: “Together, we will build upon Langston’s legacy and create a future where excellence knows no bounds.” We share the same sentiment and commitment to building alongside Langston.


Impact begins now on the ground, in the soil, and in the hands of Oklahoman’s ready to build dynamic food systems within their communities.