Apply now for a community garden plot!
Posted by Kblanchard on April 11, 2011
The Color of Food
Posted by Kblanchard on April 7, 2011
I have been meaning to write about this important report since it came out in February. A project of the Applied Research Center, The Color of Food is an account of the state of racial inequality in our food system, and a challenge to the “good food movement” (a catch-all for sustainable/local/real/slow food), stating:
A movement based on a holistic understanding of food justice needs to encompass the chain of food production that connects seeds to mouths. The food chain includes the workers that help to plant the seeds, harvest the crops, package the food, deliver the product and serve the meal to consumers.
The report is particularly interesting in what it reveals about Latino workers in the food system. As the graph below demonstrates, Latinos make up just 15.4% of the US population, but 25% of total food workers.
Despite being the most represented racial minority in food work, Latinos have the lowest median annual wage of all food workers, at $18,438/year. The median annual wage of all people of color is $19,349. For Black food workers, the median annual wage is $19,523. For Asian food workers it is $23,427, and White food workers make an annual median wage of $25,024.
The race/gender gaps in wages and management positions are also striking. Compared to a white man’s $1.00, Latino men make $0.66, and Latina Women make $0.50. Only 8.5% of managerial positions in the food system are held by Latino men, and 4.5% are held by Latina women. People of color in managerial positions also earn significantly less than White managers.
I recommend a look through the entire report; it presents the fact, clear as day: Good Food, Real Food, Sustainable Food — whatever we want to call it, it has to include justice, goodness, real wages, and sustainable lifestyles for producers, processors, distributors… all food workers.
Oles to Action IN ACTION!
Posted by Kblanchard on March 31, 2011
I stopped by the student center at St. Olaf yesterday afternoon to visit with some of the wonderful students who have coordinated several great fundraisers for Rural Enterprise Center this spring.
Organized by the student group Oles to Action, the students have been tabling outside the cafeteria for a “Sponsor A Chicken” program, including chicken coloring book pages and trivia about Latino Agripreneurs.
This weekend, the students are sponsoring a charity rave dance for REC (I proposed we figure out some Latin-dance classes and fiestas with the Apripreneurs in the future).
Oles to Action is a student-led organization that seeks to inform the St. Olaf student body of current social issues in the global community, facilitating a bridge of support between Oles and organizations which are working with these issues. Coordinators Thando and Alyssa told me they became involved with service at St. Olaf through Haiti relief efforts last year. After attending a film screening about the Invisible Children of Uganda at St. Olaf this fall, they decided to form an organization to keep on spreading student awareness and support to other efforts, international and at their backdoor. We’re thrilled they chose to work with Rural Enterprise Center this term.
Oles to Action represents one of the great resources Northfield has in its colleges. As a recent Carleton grad, I resonate with the desire of many students to get out of the respective campus “bubbles” and participate in the local and international community. There are challenges to this, of course, as students are most often temporary residents here and do not always get to dig in very deeply, or commit sufficient time towards understanding and dismantling the structural issues that perpetuate injustice, inequality, and myriad other issues in our communities. But the opportunities for real student engagement with Northfield community issues just continue to deepen, expand, and grow.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to stick around Northfield and dive into this work I could only barely dip my toes into as an overloaded Carleton student. I am overjoyed to work with enthusiastic students like these, who want to put action in education and serve this community that helps make our colleges so great.
Chilly Toes, Happy Hens: Winter Farm Tour at Finca Mirasol
Posted by Kblanchard on March 28, 2011
Kicking off our springtime pre-Agripreneur Training Saturday programs was a great winter farm tour last weekend. Fifteen aspiring farmer-trainees trucked it out to Regi’s place, Finca Mirasol, to learn about the winter poultry production buildings and see for themselves that yes, you really can produce some food year-round in Minnesota!
We all got pretty chilly standing in the frozen mud as Regi gave a brief introduction to the production buildings and process, but as soon as we ducked into the building it was warm and toasty and we all became quick friends with those hens!
Used as a prototype building this season, only about 25 laying hens lived in the building through the winter, but has capacity for 750 birds to have ample space. The building is entirely heated by the sun. It is a simple wood and plastic-sheeting construction, with a large south-facing wall with a double-layer of polycarbonate sheets for extra insulation. The building is tall enough to house a raised tank to keep water flowing through the gravity-fed tubing to waterers. Both sides of the building open up to allow chickens to free range during the day.
Winter poultry production is a marvelous opportunity on multiple levels — first, it will provide southeastern Minnesota with locally-produced, community-based, sustainably-raised meat through the winter season, but of equal importance is the job opportunity it provides to Latin@s whose usual seasonal work means they are more likely to be unemployed in the winter.
After lots of good questions and discussion at the farm, we trekked back through the thawing mud and returned to the office for delicious tamales made with Hillside Co-op chicken by the mother of some of the participants. Regi gave a brief introduction to the Agripreneur Training Program that will commence in the summer, and was met with lots of interested questions and discussion.
Upcoming Saturday programs will cover financial literacy, building credit, budget management, and general popular education activities to begin to build community amongst the trainees.
Faith Community Garden Now Accepting Applications for 2011 Season!
Posted by Kblanchard on March 18, 2011
We are excited to announce that applications are now being accepted for plots at Faith Community Garden, a project we co-sponsor with the Northfield Community Action Center. A number of raised garden beds – which make gardening more accessible for individuals who wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate – are a new option for 2011. Our garden coordinators can arrange mentorships for new gardeners or people who would like assistance. Classes on weekly harvest planning, best practices for organic gardening, food preservation and other topics are also planned for this season.
The 2011 season cost for a 25 by 25 foot garden plot is $25. That includes water, mulch and maintenance costs. Gardeners may apply for more than one plot, and scholarships are available. The gardens are located just north of Northfield on Highway 3, behind Benjamin Bus Company.
“With food prices projected to rise, and more people plugged into the value of local foods, we expect the garden plots to go quickly, ” said Jim Blaha, executive director of the Community Action Center. “Last year, more than 30 families and groups worked in the gardens, getting to know each other and growing great, healthy food.”
Plot applications and garden scholarships are available at the Community Action Center of Northfield at 1651 Jefferson Parkway. If you have questions, contact Katie Blanchard here at the REC Office, (507) 786-9900.
New Agripreneur Training Materials Added
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on February 17, 2011
I posted Kate Taylor’s “goodbye Minnesota” note as she finished her work with the Rural Enterprise Center. The final product of her work includes three video recordings intended as complementary material for community leaders in other communities where we foresee developing new agripreneurs. I have added this material to the page with the full description of this approach, if you follow our work, this is a very important update.
