Minneapolis' trash is this group's treasure.

A coalition of environmentalists and urban farmers has launched the Soil Syndicate compost initiative to transform food scraps into healthy soil while strengthening community bonds, as reported by the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. 

The group kicked the program off with a free day of education, workshops, and connection.

The project, which promotes at-home composting and urban agriculture, is as much about healing historical harm as it is about healing the earth.

"As Black people, we're really disillusioned with nature and agriculture because of historical trauma," Johnny Rowland, an intern for the local nonprofit Project Sweetie Pie, told the Spokesman-Recorder. However, composting fosters positive interactions with nature.

"It's an opportunity to decolonize that frame of thinking by showing them the tradition behind it and giving them broader examples of people who are spearheading agriculture, so they don't just think of slavery whenever they see the land," he said.

Composting can give people a sense of agency in helping the environment. 

"It's something that everybody can do at home," said Jeffrey Mejia, another Project Sweetie Pie intern. "People are wondering what to do … This gives them something."

There are many ways to compost, from vermicomposting, which involves composting with worms like red wigglers, to accelerated hot composting via microbial activity. But Alexandron Msigala, who helped launch the Soil Syndicate, prefers composting with black soldier fly larvae.

These creepy crawlies feed on rotting food waste to produce nutrient-rich soil, and also serve as a protein-rich food for animals. Msigala founded KilimoMax Solutions to promote black soldier fly farming in his native Tanzania.

If you compost your food scraps, what's your primary motivation? Improving my garden's soil 🌱 Saving money on fertilizer 💰 Helping the planet 🌎 I don't compost 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

When a leadership initiative took Msigala to Minneapolis, he brought his enthusiasm for black soldier fly composting with him. The method has already caught on among some members of the community — including Mejia.

Composting is as beneficial to human communities as it is to the environment. People can add finished compost to their garden beds when growing their own food, which helps save money on groceries and boosts their physical and mental well-being.

Composting also prevents food waste from entering landfills, where it produces methane, one of the toxic gases contributing to the overheating of our planet.

The organizers of the Soil Syndicate view it as an environmental and social justice initiative, and the event was just the first step in establishing a network of Minneapolis residents dedicated to soil restoration.

"Our goal here is to inspire communities across the Twin Cities to see waste as a resource and join the movement for healthier soils and stronger local food systems," Msigala said.

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