Texas NWIAA Chairwomen
Kay Bell was born in Jacksonville, Texas where she was raised on a farm with her parents and siblings. Farming was something Kay did not have in her mind to do when she was preparing for her future. However, the need to live a healthier and more sustainable life motivated Kay to catch on to her roots of farming. Kay now resides in Waco, Texas.
Kay is a member of the community Race Relation Coalition, an organization that brings diverse races together while breaking down racism. In 2013 Kay founded the Global Revive Organization. This organization promotes the building of Kid’s Gardens throughout the city and the teaching of natural holistic health. In 2014 founded a new Farmer’s Market at the Waco Richland Mall, which goes from June to September. Kay is a certified herbalist, a certified doula, and a teaologist. She is the owner of Passion Garden, where she sells herbal teas from her herbs, which are grown, in her gardens. Kay’s Passion Garden vegetables and teas are sold at the year round Waco Downtown Farmer’s Market and her teas or in a local Health Store.
Key Bell
Kay is a graduate of Paul Quinn College, in Dallas, Texas with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Science. She currently teaches six-grade science in Waco, Texas
Contact Info: Email bellkay9@gmail.com (254) 227-2488
Texas NWIAA Chairwomen
Darciea Houston, also known as Major Melanin to her community, specializes in permaculture. As an Indigenous American Indian farmer, motivational speaker and business to business (B2B) entrepreneur, her goals are to simplify agriculture and other beneficial sustainable growing practices for underserved neighborhoods that lack access to fresh produce. Darciea is the founder and chief executive officer for Filthy Rich Nutrients LLC. She is a problem solver that uses her experiences, resources and platform to empower her communities to “Garden for Health”. She inspires residence by providing simplistic clear instructions and access to the resources needed for new gardeners and farmers to be successful.
Darceia Houston
Contact Info: soil@filthyrichnutrients.com (469) 506-2687
Texas NWIAA Chairman
Jerry Ra
Jerry Robinson Jr. or, Jerry Ra as he is known in the local urban farming community, is our current Urban Farming Superstar. While double majoring in Soil/Crop Science and Horticulture in the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences, at The Ohio State University; his revolutionary agrarian spirit was completely ignited when he met Will Allen and completed a certification course in Commercial Urban Agriculture (CUA) at Growing Power in Milwaukee, WI class of 2012. After his experience at Growing Power, Mr. Ra dedicated himself to a personal mission of developing urban food infrastructure systems in every city he landed. With 20 years of experience in urban farming, he has specialized in growing herbs specific to human diseases, fifteen different types of microgreens, vertical farming and aquaponics/aquaculture. To further serve the purpose, he formed The Urban Green University, after moving to Dallas, Texas and attending several agricultural conferences, workshops and seminar where the lack of the AI ag technology and cannabis cultivation was not be discussed.
Mr. Ra current project is with RoomFul.com where he is implementing virtual agriculture farm to school to table programs. To date, what Jerry is most proud of, is, his ability to stay innovative and ahead of agricultural curves in helping to unify urban/rural farmers to compete within the agriculture industry. The Urban Green University is utilizing the AI virtual technology, hemp and cannabis industry as a catapult to eliminate food apartheid and rural farm debt. It is The Urban Green University objective to train, manage, maintain and sustain the new food system using philosophy of cooperative urban farming to create green micro enterprises.
