Chris Battle was a pastor for over 3 decades. The trajectory of his life changed in 2018 with the establishment of a community garden that sparked a passion for fighting food disparity in East Knoxville and creating an oasis in a food desert.

Chris Battle was a pastor for over 3 decades. The trajectory of his life changed in 2018 with the establishment of a community garden that sparked a passion for fighting food disparity in East Knoxville and creating an oasis in a food desert. Chris Battle, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, is an alumnus of Morehouse College and holds Master’s degrees in Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and in Hebrew Bible from Cincinnati Bible College. He has served as pastor in several cities including Bowling Green, KY, Hackensack, NJ, Cincinnati, OH, and Knoxville, TN. His journey took a pivotal turn in 2018 when he launched a community garden in Knoxville, which led him to tackle food disparity and connect more deeply with his community. This initiative expanded into Battlefield Farm and the establishment of the Eastside Sunday Market at Dr. Walter Hardy Park, now in its fourth year. Beyond gardening, Battle has encouraged other churches to start their own gardens and leveraged a food truck to aid underserved areas. Currently, he is the Lead Pastor at Harvest Fellowship and a father to 19 children with his wife, Tomma.

Learn more about BattleField Farms at https://battlefieldfarm.org/

Filmed at the TN Local Food Summit on December 6, 2024 at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN.