Eat the News in Bites: Local Food Community News, February 2021
Every 13th of the month, we’ll recap some of what’s happening in the local food community and how you can get involved. Some of it might make you joyous, some of it might make you pissed, but all of it shows the resilience of Minnesota food folks working toward a regenerative future that nourishes all people, all beings, and the entirety of our living planet.
What’s in this edition?
Appetite for Change empowers North Minneapolis and beyond
The Good Acre and partners support BIPOC farmers
Land Stewardship Project examines whiteness in the food system
MN Senator Tina Smith and colleagues introduce legislation to address racism in agriculture
Slow Food USA hosts Slow Food Seed Summit
Dream of Wild Health and NATIFS discuss indigenous food sovereignty
Black history month spotlight: Appetite for change
Throughout the year, but especially during the month of February, we celebrate the powerful contributions Black farmers, chefs, and organizers make to our food system. Minnesota Black-run organizations like Appetite for Change are at the forefront of the food justice movement. Appetite for Change is on a mission to “build health, wealth, and social change” in North Minneapolis and beyond. Through AFC’s seven urban gardens around North Minneapolis, area youth connect with the land and learn the power of fresh produce. Through their social enterprise restaurant, Breaking Bread Cafe, and commercial kitchen space, Kindred Kitchen, new and aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs learn technical skills and gain business expertise. Appetite for Change has also adapted to serve the needs of the community amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing over 238,000 meals through Breaking Bread Cafe and their Community Cooks Meal Box program since April 2020.
join in
Check out the Appetite for Change blog! Their most recent post celebrates the nutritional power and rich history of soul food. Read it here.
The Community Cooks Meal Box program provides weekly meal boxes of fresh ingredients to make nutritious meals free of charge. The program is currently at capacity, but you can sign up for the waitlist here.
Stay up-to-date on all of AFC’s work by signing up for their newsletter and following them on social media: @appetiteforchange (Instagram) and @afcmn (Twitter)
Support Appetite for Change by donating here!
The good acre and partners support bipoc farmers
The Good Acre is a nonprofit community food hub with expertise covering all aspects of the food system, from grower support to culinary training to consumer education. In partnership with other local organizations, The Good Acre launched the Local Emergency Assistance Farmer Fund (LEAFF) program to support regional BIPOC farmers whose markets were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of the additional barriers faced by farmers of color. The Good Acre guaranteed up to $7,500 of produce purchasing from each LEAFF program participant for the 2020 growing season. By autumn, the LEAFF program had bought and distributed over 148,000 pounds of produce from 47 farmers. After the success of the 2020 year, the Good Acre hopes to adapt the program and continue it over the 2021 growing season.
Join In
Stay connected with The Good Acre’s work by signing up for their newsletter and following them on social media: @thegoodacremn (Instagram/Twitter)
Consider purchasing a Farm Share! As a food hub, TGA aggregates produce from local farmers to provide a variety of delicious and nutritious produce throughout the year. They offer a 18-week full season share, November/December late season share, and a 7-week campus share for college students. You can also choose from a variety of add-ons, so you can get your fix of local eggs, meat, cheese, and more! Learn more and sign up for a 2021 share here.
Support The Good Acre by donating here! You can also donate specifically to the LEAFF program here.
Land stewardship Project discusses Whiteness in the food system
We cannot fully appreciate the contributions of BIPOC folks without acknowledging the ways systemic racism hurts our society. For white folks, this should give us an extra push to examine our whiteness and how it perpetuates these systemic inequalities, within the food system and beyond. During the month of March, Land Stewardship Project will be discussing these topics as part of their study group on ‘Seeing Whiteness’ in the Food System. This series of virtual discussions will examine the concept of whiteness, how it has shaped our food system, and how it manifests itself in our everyday lives. The group will use podcast episodes from the Center for Documentary Studies and PRX’s podcast series, Scene on Radio, and will meet four times over the month of March. The first meeting is Wednesday, March 3rd from 7:00-8:00 pm.
join in
The study group is open to all Land Stewardship Project members. Become a LSP member here! Membership gives you access to a plethora of events, special action alerts, and the LSP newsletter The Land Stewardship Letter.
Sign up for the Seeing Whiteness discussion group here!
The Land Stewardship Project website has a ton of information on community agriculture, soil health, farm policy, racial justice in farming, and more. Sign up for their racial justice e-letter, Amplify! to get action items and resources for engaging in racial justice work in your community.
Keep up-to-date with all of LSP’s work by following them on social media: @landstewardshipproject (Instagram) and @LSPnow (Twitter)
Mn Senator Tina Smith introduces Justice for black farmers act
Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, including Minnesota Senator Tina Smith, introduced groundbreaking legislation this week to address pervasive and historic discrimination against Black farmers. Centuries of discriminatory lending practices, racist land access policies, and outright violence have reduced the number of Black-run farms in the US to 35,000--just two percent of the nation’s farms.The Justice for Black Farmers Act aims to combat this systemic racism, especially in the USDA and federal loan programs. The act will bolster USDA lending programs and create a new Equitable Land Access Service with the specific goal of providing affordable land to Black farmers. It will also ensure proper investigation of discrimination within the USDA, and further protect farmers from abuse by big ag corporations. The legislation will also foster Black land stewardship by investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and establishing a Farm Conservation Corps to provide training opportunities for underrepresented young people interested in farming and ranching careers.
join in
Read a summary of the bill here or access the full bill here.
Read this blog from the National Black Food and Justice Alliance about the bill.
Contact your representatives to express your support for this long-needed legislation!
Celebrate seeds at the Slow Food Seed Summit
Immerse yourself in the world of seeds with Slow Food USA! Join seed growers, gatherers, and savers for the Slow Food USA Seed Summit, happening online February 18th-28th. We’ll hear from a range of seed experts during sessions on everything from GMO seeds to community seed saving to indigenous seed traditions. Connect with fellow seed enthusiasts and new friends during the small-group roundtables and breakout sessions. The cost is $60 to attend, with discounts for growers and students.
Join in
Register for the Slow Food Seed Summit here.
Check out the presenters and full session lineup here.
Slow Food USA wants the Seed Summit to be accessible to all! Scholarships are available for those who need it. Scholarship applications are accepted through February 17th--apply here.
Keep an eye on the Slow Food USA events page for information on all upcoming events.
NATIFS and Dream of Wild Health discuss indigenous food sovereignty
Through their focus on education and community building, NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) and Dream of Wild Health are leading the movement to strengthen native foodways in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. This month, the two organizations are collaborating to host a virtual panel conversation called Indigenous Food Sovereignty 101. The panel will feature Hope Flanagan, Seneca elder and Community Outreach and Culture Teacher with Dream of Wild Health; Armando Medinaceli, Bolivian ethnobiologist and Indigenous Education Director with NATIFS; and Felicia Galvan, a University of Minnesota-Morris student studying anthropology. The panelists will discuss the concept of food sovereignty and how it can empower our indigenous communities, as well as ways we can all get involved in the food sovereignty movement.
Join in
The panel is happening Wednesday, February 24th from 1:00-2:00 pm on Zoom. The event is FREE and open to everyone, but advanced registration is required. Sign up here!
Follow Dream of Wild Health and NATIFS on social media to keep up to date on all of their work. NATIFS: @natifs_org (Instagram/Twitter) Dream of Wild Health: @DreamWildHealth (Twitter) and @dreamofwildhealth (Instagram).
Support NATIFS’ work by donating here.
Support Dream of Wild Health’s work by donating here.
Want to learn more about indigenous history?
Dream of Wild Health, in partnership with Gatherings Cafe and the Urban Bird Collective, is hosting two storytelling events featuring Hope. During the darkest part of winter, Hope will tell the stories of Aadizookaanag, the Ojibwe legends. The second event in the series will focus on the sacred role of our plant relatives and their place in Ojibwe traditions. The event will NOT be recorded, so make sure to show up for the live event at 5:30 on February 17th.
Sign up here.
About Lydia Fermanich
Lydia's relationship with the food system is grounded in communications and environmental stewardship. She has worked in training new sustainable farmers, food access, nutritional outreach, and urban gardening. Lydia is also an avid cross-country skier and outdoor recreationist.