Two-time Alumnus Cultivates Farming Connection with Children

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 3, 2025) — Farmer, teacher, father, mentor, public speaker: all of these labels apply to Kamal Bell. So do beekeeper, community builder and, now, published author. The two-time North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumnus recently published a book about beekeeping for children that is generating buzz for himself and his farm.

A Durham, North Carolina native, Bell had never farmed until he changed his major to animal science (animal industry) and began learning about plants and animals at A&T’s University Farm. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2014 and master’s in agricultural education in 2015 from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) the next year. He also met his spouse, Amber Bell, at A&T. Their fourth son was born May 11 —on commencement weekend, when Amber, now a doula, was scheduled to receive her Human Lactation Pathway 2 post-baccalaureate certificate.

In 2016, while teaching middle school in Durham, Bell bought 12 acres in Orange County and created Sankofa Farms to build and support communities. The farm grows sustainable healthy food for children who live in urban food deserts with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Crops include cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, chard, kale and several other vegetables that he sells to a Triangle food co-op, a nonprofit that distributes food to food-insecure families in Orange County, and through a community-supported agriculture program at a Durham church.

The farm also is home to Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy, a year-round program that educates African American boys from Durham about agriculture, STEM skills, leadership and life. Sankofa derives from an African word that means “to retrieve.” Bell wants his students to reconnect with their African ancestry as they learn how to be 21st century farmers who can adapt to a changing climate.

“Kamal Bell exemplifies the transformative power of agriculture in urban settings,” said Antoine J. Alston, Ph.D., a professor of agricultural education and associate dean of Academic Studies at CAES. “He’s educating youth about agriculture and inspiring the next generation of future food, agriculture and natural resource leaders. His dedication and passion make him a role model for all, particularly young African American males.”

Bell got into beekeeping after one of his Academy students suggested that bees might make the program more engaging. After Bell and his students became certified beekeepers, they started with two bee colonies in 2018 and now tend 10. Bell said he keeps bees to pollinate his crops, be a good environmental steward and support threatened bee colonies, which are under continuous assault from climate change, pesticides and habitat loss.

“We also use bees to teach collective work and determination,” Bell said. “Once bees identify an issue, they create a system to address it. My students have to be able to work together to build our community and build a better society for ourselves.”

Though bees make up only a small part of Sankofa Farms, they have brought Bell significant attention. A short video of Bell’s second-oldest son, Akeem — then just 5 but wearing a tiny beekeeper’s suit and deftly handling beehive frames and a smoker — got 1 million views on X (formerly Twitter). A conference presentation about Sankofa Farms and the bees led to the book deal when a representative from a book publisher happened to hear his talk.

“Akeem Keeps Bees!” — written by Bell and told from the perspective of Akeem, who’s now 8 — provides young readers a practical guide to bees and beekeeping. Published in February, the book reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Children's Flower & Plant Books category. Bell has done readings at more than 20 schools and libraries across North Carolina, including A&T’s Child Development Lab this spring.

See video here: https://youtu.be/MEWv3iw8qrw

In the discussion at the Child Development Lab reading, 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds were excited to learn that pollinators aren’t limited to bees and can even include jungle animals.

“Monkeys will also be considered pollinators as well, because they get pollen caught in their fur and they swing from tree to tree and the pollen gets on other plants,” Bell told the children, who each received an autographed copy of “Akeem Keeps Bees!” after the reading.

“People love that book because it shows a young child who’s not scared of bees and can work with them,” Bell said. “They’re inspired by the book, and they want more books like it that are comprehensive and informative.”

Bell continues to extend his work far beyond the borders of his Orange County farm. Last fall, when he and other farmers were invited to the White House to talk about innovation in rural communities, he had a private meeting with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

In February, as part of Syngenta’s annual Leadership At Its Best Conference, Bell met with congressional leaders from North Carolina and other farming states on Capitol Hill. He holds a Castanea Fellowship, which enables him to network with other food justice advocates from around the country.

Senior university leaders visited Sankofa Farms this month as part of their tour of Cooperative Extension at North Carolina A&T initiatives across eastern and central North Carolina. Shannon R. Wiley, Ph.D., the regional extension director for urban and non-traditional/underrepresented audiences, said Sankofa Farms was selected “because of its pioneering role in urban farming and Kamal’s leadership in advancing urban agriculture and creating a model that bridges food production, education and community empowerment.”

Bell hopes that visit will lead to new partnerships with A&T.

“I want the university to champion Sankofa Farms as a model of farming that A&T students can walk into and use to create new lives for themselves and their community,” Bell said. “The work of Sankofa Farms is evolving outside the realm of just farming. Our goal is to create a new generation of farmers to fulfill the needs we see in the community.”