Kannan Thiruvengadam

Kannan Thiruvengadam grew up in the foothills of a sacred mountain in southern Tamil Nadu, in a farming family where life was inextricably linked with land. After an early career in technology, he returned to his agrarian roots — this time in East Boston, Massachusetts, where he has lived for over two decades. In 2015, he co-founded Eastie Farm, a community urban farm dedicated to climate justice, food security, and community resilience. When COVID hit East Boston in 2020, he co-created Mutual Aid Eastie, serving over 5,000 meals a week to food-insecure families while supporting shuttered local restaurants. Under his leadership, Eastie Farm built the first geothermally powered zero-emissions greenhouse in New England and a Community Supported Agriculture program supporting small regional farms while serving hundreds of families across the economic spectrum.

Kannan serves as President of Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, and Boston Conservation Commissioner. He hosts What’s Up Eastie?, a weekly community radio show on Zumix 94.9FM, and has been a ward and state Democratic committee member. He is a Harvard Loeb Fellow (2024), 2023 Grist 50 Fixer, and MIT MLK Visiting Scholar — recognized for work that advances justice, equity, and community resilience in the tradition of Dr. King’s vision of beloved community. His theory of change is built on the belief that only nature-based solutions and the genuine empowerment of those made vulnerable by longstanding injustices can help communities escape vicious cycles and enter virtuous ones.