Houston native Ivy Lawrence-Walls is passionate about food equity and access. As a third-generation farm owner, Lawrence-Walls used the skills honed by her family to help the community that raised her. Lawrence-Walls followed her passion to open Ivy Leaf Farms in 2019.

Lawrence-Walls opened her first community farm, Ivy Leaf Farms, in 2019. Hoping to use agriculture to promote food security within the neighborhood that raised her, she partnered with fellow farmer Jeremy Peaches and founded Black Farmer Box. The community support program provides locally sourced produce to residents in underserved communities. Lawrence-Walls and Peaches also saved profits from their business and opened Fresh Houwse Grocery in 2021, serving residents in the historically Black Sunnyside neighborhood of South Houston. Their goal was to provide locally sourced produce and food for residents in the area deemed a food desert by the USDA.

This week, she was announced as the grand prize winner of Revolt TV’s Bet On Black series, walking away $200,000 to continue her mission of tackling food equity and access.

Lawrence-Walls’ commitment to fostering food-secure ecosystems and advocating for food accessibility and equity garnered her national attention and support– and a spot on the show. The competition series revolves around Black entrepreneurs pitching innovative business concepts to a panel of maverick investors and industry pioneers. This season’s judges include celebrity entrepreneurs such as Pinky Cole, Bun B and Ray J.

The show is not just about monetary gain; the judges want to vet businesses that build communities, support social justice and drive cultural progress.

Blavity spoke with Lawrence-Walls about her mission to use food and agriculture to leave a lasting imprint on the intersections of equity and inclusion for years to come.

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