Kelly Owensby

Kelly Owensby began working in sustainable agriculture in 2005 after graduating from UNC-CH with a degree in cultural studies. She worked on eight vegetable and flower farms in N.C. before shifting her work towards community development and starting Transplanting Traditions Community Farm in 2010. Over the past eight years she has grown Transplanting Traditions from ½ acre to 8 acres with over 93,000 pounds of food grown each year and over $340,000 in income brought to directly to the refugee farmers she works with. She is particularly interested in how Transplanting Traditions is a platform to uplift and share cultural traditions around farming and food, foster community and psycho-social well-being and provide a space for the refugee community from Burma to re-create home and meaning after the difficult upheaval of re-settlement. Outside of Transplanting Traditions, she plays the surdo drum in Batala Durham and loves building, cooking and creating.

Bio Apr 2018