Customers at the market where black farmers sell to the area's mostly low-income black families are already waiting, examining bunches of dandelion greens, broccoli rabe and Russian kale that once seemed foreign to them.

"When I first brought these out here, nobody bought them, because they didn't know what they were," said Musgraves, holding up a lavender-stemmed sprig of kale.

Each Saturday, Musgraves drives 120 miles to the market from his five-acre Livingston farm in the San Joaquin Valley. He sees his mission as part nutrition counselor, part purveyor of the fresh, organic produce that's hard to come by in an area with only one grocery store and an abundance of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores.

"I've seen the African-American people's health declining," the 58-year-old farmer said. "It's not having access to healthy food, to a good lifestyle."

The relatively small market offers something for the community, but also helps black farmers like Musgraves.He works his land by hand, without help or a tractor, and knows the pressures small farmers face from industrial agriculture and a global market.

In California, where farming generates $27.8 billion a year, there are 84,000 farms, but fewer than 380 black farmers.

Will Scott Jr., 63, president of the African American Farmers of California, explained that blacks have historically been pushed out of the business — and off their land — by being denied financing and access to markets.

Five years ago, the U.S. Agriculture Department settled a lawsuit with tens of thousands of black farmers who claimed they were discriminated against when they tried to get loans. The claim has been renewed by a national coalition of black farmers, who went to Congress on Monday seeking compensation.

"Coming to the market helps me, since I can sell my produce," Scott said. "But also, there's a need here. If we didn't do this, they'd be relegated to fast food."

Nearly two out of five homes in the area don't have access to a car, which makes it hard to shop at the one supermarket that serves the area's 25,000 residents.

Few produce outlets and a shortage of parks and other places to exercise hurts the community. Residents have extremely high rates of preventable diseases, said Dr. Sarah Samuels, a public health researcher in Oakland.

Almost one-third of kids in the Oakland School District either have diabetes or are at risk of getting the disease, which could be prevented with a healthy diet and exercise, Samuels said.

"It's become the fabric of the community," Samuels said. "Everybody talks about it — about how their brother, their uncle, their cousin has it. There's diabetes in every family."

Improving the community takes more than just bringing in fresh produce on weekends, said Dana Harvey, co-director of the West Oakland Food Collaborative, which coordinates the market. Harvey hopes the effort will also lift the local economy.

Strolling between the stalls, shoppers can see — and taste — the results of programs that aim to provide fresh produce. One stand sells greens from Oakland's urban gardens. Elementary school children stir fry veggies they helped grow in the gardens.

"They're learning to eat healthy, rather than just junk food," said Adetola Williams, who works with the children through the Oakland Butterfly and Urban Gardens program.

The collaborative is reaching out, and working to make fresh food available on other days and in other places as well. The Yemen Merchants Association, which represents 380 neighborhood stores in the Bay Area, struck a deal with the collaborative to start offering their produce.

Just a couple of blocks away, Neighbors' market used to offer the usual corner store fare — packaged cookies, chips, soda, liquor.

Two years ago, owner Saleh Algabri worked with the collaborative to stock a cooler with tomatoes, bell peppers, oranges and cabbage from farmers like Musgraves. Customers started seeking his produce.

"We try to help people to eat a nice meal," Algabri said. "This neighborhood needs it."

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