RHN 46/2026 | Event
Organiser: Agricultural History Society (AHS)
4 – 6 June 2026, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
AHS Annual Meeting 2026
Alternative Agricultures
Agriculture may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Atlanta – but you should think again. From the maize farming that sustained Mississippian cultures and their Muscogee Creek descendants, to King Cotton and the enslaved labor that fueled Atlanta’s growth in the nineteenth century, to the urban farms that today flourish among diverse communities, the city’s past and present agricultural identities are rich and varied. The latter spaces are especially vibrant places to encounter the “alternative agricultures” thematized in this year’s program.
Atlanta is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own personality – and many providing opportunities to explore agriculture, farming, and food histories. Close to the conference venue in Buckhead is the Atlanta History Center, home to Smith Farm, the oldest surviving farmhouse in Atlanta, and the recreated enslaved people’s garden, sites to learn about the varied cultivation practices that sustained early Atlantans (the Atlanta History Center will be one of the stops on our optional conference tour on Friday, June 5). We hope you’ll find time to explore at least a few of the 200+ neighborhoods beyond Buckhead, too. Sweet Auburn, the center of civil rights history in Atlanta and site of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, is also home to the Municipal Market, founded as an open-air market for produce and livestock in 1918. Urban farms and community gardens dot the city, often linked to their adjacent neighborhoods as well as communities beyond. Urban food activist Jamila Norman, also known as Farmer J, cultivates Patchwork City Farms in Oakland City, a historic African American neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. And for those wanting a look into more industrialized food experiences, just beyond the city limits in Avondale Estates is the first Waffle House restaurant, now serving up history as the Waffle House Museum. These are but a few of the many possibilities that await.
Although you will surely encounter the city’s infamous heat and humidity during the meeting, there’s always shade in sight. Atlanta’s lush tree canopy is among the densest of US cities, creating possibilities to linger on the streets and in the parks of this “City in a Forest” even on a hot summer day. The city’s still-growing Beltline connects several parks and neighborhoods and links to bikeways that can take one still further afield.
In short, there is plenty of Atlanta past and present to explore! We hope you enjoy your visit here.
Helen Anne Curry, Georgia Institute of Technology
Alison Greene, Emory University
Bert Way, Kennesaw State University
Further information and the program can be found here: https://www.aghistorysociety.org/2026-meeting
Source: https://www.aghistorysociety.org/2026-meeting