Dr. Barry Colley
Barry Colley has a Ph. D. in Agriculture and Extension Education from Michigan State University. Dr. Colley has served small farmers around the world in a variety of settings. During the great famine of Ethiopia in the 1980’s from 1985-1988, he directed irrigation projects and input supply packages of seeds, oxen and tools to help displaced farmers resettle after abandoning their land. In the early 1990’s he directed a demonstration farm in eastern Arkansas and directed farmer to farmer network training and demonstration. These activities assisted African-American farmers in Arkansas to make the transition from traditional row crops to alternative high value vegetable crops.
Toward the end of the 1990’s Dr Colley cultivated his medium and small business practitioner management skills through several professional pathways. He and his wife operated a commercial greenhouse enterprise and marketed organic salad mix and herbs in Memphis, TN. He led the $10,000,000 Food for Peace Program from 1998-2001, organizing cooperatives and small farmers into commercial operations as team leader in the Rural Resources Enterprise Development Project (REAP) in South Africa. Returning to the U.S. in 2001, Dr. Colley served Heifer International from2001-2009 as the Africa Area Program Director and the Director ofEnterprise Development. He promoted socially responsible businessdevelopment in the dairy Industries of Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroonand Zambia.
Currently, he serves as the CEO of Seven Harvest, Inc. a non-profit which he Co-Founded with his wife Dianne. He is directing the Seven Harvest Food Enterprise Incubator Center. The activities range from 7ac site renovation and construction of a greenhouse and hoop house, and establish and maintain worm vermicomposting systems. He directs mentoring and hands-on training with AmeriCorp volunteers, State of Arkansas Consolidated Youth Services and High School Youth in Agriculture Interns in the construction of hoop houses, greenhouse salad mix production and direct marketing activities.
Dr. Colley continues to demonstrate his ability to take local action and work globally. For example, currently, through a USDA grant he provides support instrategic and business planning, hands-on training, SWOT analysis with urbanand rural farm communities in Memphis, TN, Little Rock, and the rural Deltacommunities of Bolivar County, MS; Marshall, County, MS; Cross County, AR; St.Francis County, AR; and Phillips, County AR. Dr. Colley is a Board Member of theArkansas Communities of Excellence, and Women of Paradise an organizationwith the mission of eliminating female gentile mutilation in Africa. He is a memberof the Delta State University Food Policy Forum and manages the Growing Powerproject with the Clinton Global Initiative to establish Local Food Centers in the food insecure communities of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ghana.