On a late-August Saturday morning, a stretch of rolling land off Rock Chapel Road in Lithonia will hum with the work of beekeeping. On Aug. 29, from nine until noon, DeKalb County's Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs department will host a free Junior Beekeeper Program at the E.M.B.A.R.C. Community Youth Farm, an urban agriculture campus that has, in just a few years, transformed a piece of the county's history into a working farm and home to beehives.
The free program is designed for anyone curious about what goes on inside a hive. Participants will be able to see the farm's bees up close and learn about colony life, pollination, and what it takes to keep bees healthy in an urban setting. The experience is intended to be educational and family-friendly, with limited space and first-come, first-served registration. The event will be held at the farm located at 1185 Rock Chapel Road.
The farm itself was developed through the vision of DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson in 2020. Located on the former 50-acre Bransby Outdoor YMCA at the Rock Chapel site, the farm is an interconnected campus designed to focus on organic and natural food raised from the ground, with the goal of eliminating food deserts in DeKalb County. In 2020, the county partnered with the Georgia Institute of Technology Design and Research Studio. Under the leadership of professor Herman Howard, an architect, thirteen graduate students created a detailed master site plan that provided the conceptual layout to guide the farm's development.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held on April 19, 2021, with DeKalb County dignitaries, Georgia Tech students, and local residents. Phase I development was completed in 2023, which included upgrading infrastructure and utilities, re-establishing the trail system, and installing a greenhouse, raised garden beds, beehives, and a chicken coop. Agricultural programming and classes began in 2023, and partnerships with scouting organizations have started. Phase II and Phase III are planned to include renovation of the site's pool and tennis courts, hydroponics, a compost station, a weekly farmers market, and a country market store with a test kitchen.
The Youth Entrepreneurial Program, which began in March 2024, is geared to high school juniors and seniors and is designed to teach sustainable farming and leadership. The farm's own plans call for selling products, including honey, in the future country market store. The Junior Beekeeper Program represents the farm's ongoing effort to connect the community with agriculture. As the farm's founder Commissioner Cochran-Johnson envisioned, it is a place where youth and neighbors can roll up their sleeves, connect with nature, and take part in something that keeps growing. For those interested in joining the beekeeping program, registration is required, and space is limited, so acting quickly is recommended.