This is an email I received from the Sustainable DC Food Working Group list serve:

Are you working to fix DC’s broken food system? Do you have a passion for fighting for food justice? Then come network with other individuals and organizations who share your passion at the DC Food Systems Organizing Workgroup New Member Orientation and Community Brainstorm Training. This conversation is for anyone who’s interested in organizing their communities around food justice, or who wants to better lead conversations about the food system with their neighbors, coworkers, or faith community.

New Member Orientation & Community Brainstorm Training
March 26, 2012 6:00-8:30pm
Center for Green Urbanism, 3938 Benning Road NE
RSVP to Angie Stackhouse, astackhouse@breadforthecity.org or 202-480-8916

The DC Food Systems Organizing Workgroup is a group of individuals and organizations who are working build a Food Policy Council in DC. See our previous blog post about what we’ve done over the past year. Right now we are reaching out to people that share the vision of creating a nourishing community in which all Washington, D.C. residents can enjoy a nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate diet provided by a local sustainable food system that fosters health, equity, interdependence, and self-reliance.

The New Member Orientation and Community Brainstorm Training is part of this outreach effort.  The orientation is from 6:00 – 7:00, we’ll take a quick break, and then from 7:00 – 8:30 we’ll be doing a training on how to facilitate discussions about the food system in your own communities. Learn more about what the community brainstorms are here.

Please join us, and share the flyer (http://goo.gl/LYfNk) or this email with colleagues, friends, family, and neighbors you think might be interested.

Let’s get the conversation started and ignite a DC food revolution today!

The U.S. Farm Bill which is currently being discussed in Congress, is a huge piece of legislation that covers everything from crop subsidies, to “specialty crops” (meaning the fruits and vegetables we actually eat), to SNAP and WIC benefits, to land conservation program incentives. It is dense; it is complicated; it has the ability to strongly influence this country’s (in)ability to feed its citizens in the coming years. With a huge budget of nearing $420 billion, the Farm Bill is on the chopping block as part of the attempt to cut the budget deficit. However, the programs at risk of being scrapped are the very ones that need to be kept; the large payouts that keep subsidizing agribusiness are the ones that need to go. Doing so would turn our food system around and morph it into a system that is supportive of healthy foods, locally raised and grown produce, as opposed to Big Corn, Soy, & Rice, a process which helps to keep junk food cheap.

And currently this bill is being discussed in Congress behind closed doors and possibly will be enacted without any legislative debate.

So what are we, as consumers, supposed to do about this? First educate yourself. Know what the Farm Bill is (a challenging task, I know) but there are many resources and websites which have done a great job at unpacking the legislation into manageable bites of information. Second, write to your Congressman or Congresswoman. Already there has been a bipartisan group that has spoken out against this “secret” Farm Bill, but there needs to be more support. Third, continue to support your local farmers and urban growers. By supporting the local food system, we keep money in our communities as opposed to in the pockets of large multinational agribusiness corporations. As Wendell Berry is often quoted: “eating is an agricultural act.” It is true: where you choose to purchase your food is an agricultural choice as you are choosing to support a farmer and her/his agricultural practices. It is also a political one as well, as you can help to shape the kind of agriculture that U.S. policy supports and funds.

A few resources to help understand the Farm Bill:

Food and Water Watch’s Fair Farm Bill webpage.

Also the Facebook page Understanding the Farm Bill is an excellent wealth of news and information.

Understanding the Farm Bill Starts Here: All Our Articles in One Handy Place, May 25, 2011, by the Simple, Good and Tasty blog

An EXTENSIVE list of readings, articles, reports and explanations of the history of the Farm Bill, the programs within the omnibus bill, from the Community Alliance for Global Justice (CAGJ) out of Seattle, Washington. I would go here first for information.

Article on commodity subsidies (i.e. corn, soy, rice, milk) is a required read as well. By the Northwest Farm Bill Action Group.

and

An amazing website on the Declaration of the Youth Food Bill of Rights,  which was the product of this summer’s Rooted In Community (RIC) Leadership Summit. The Summit was hosted in Philadelphia, PA and attracted 37 different groups of youth gardeners, food justice advocates and urban gardeners from across the U.S. This raises the question of is our Farm Bill supporting the people’s right to food access and security? If not, then perhaps it needs to.

A few recent articles on the “Secret” Farm Bill. A quick search online will turn up many more.

Budget cuts could be recipe for change or disaster, October 24, 2011 & Digesting OWS: Why Food Lovers Need to Come to the Table, October 29, 2011, by Slow Food USA

27 Bipartisan Members of Congress Unite to Oppose “Secret Farm Bill”, November 3, 2011, by Oxfam America

Memo to Congress: No Secret Farm Bill, November 2, 2011, by The Nation‘s Mark Hertsgaard

And for some satire via political cartoon (thank you www.MisaSaburi.com and Slow Food USA):

Next week will mark the first Food Day celebration with events occurring across the United States. According to the website FoodDay.org, Food Day “seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.”

It is a “people-powered” movement that provides the avenue for celebration, education and access to food and nutrition-centered events, cooking demonstrations, volunteer (and eating) opportunities. There are numerous events planned, taking place all across the Washington Metropolitan Area for you and your family to be involved in Food Day 2011. Please ask your local church, school, farmers’ market or town hall for more information about what will be going on in your area.

Another great place to go for resources is the Food Day website, FoodDay.org. Here you can search for events near your neighborhood, whether you live in Washington DC or outside the beltway. There are also resources for you to get an event started if you want to do something yourself. Take a moment to check out the website and see what will be happening near you!

The purpose of Food Day is to promote six central principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods

2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness

3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger

4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms

5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids

6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

(for more information on the 6 Principles, please refer to Food Day – 6 Food Day Principles)

By conducting a quick search for the Washington, DC area, I was able to find almost an endless list of events that are planned including speakers, neighborhood garden open houses, food truck culinary appreciation, nutrition education, university sponsored events, and the list goes on! If you go to the FoodDay.org events page, enter your zip code or address to find something that is going on within your neighborhood. Among a few of my favorites include:

- Food Day Proclamation

- Food Day Food Truck Festival (13th-17th St and K St NW)

- Food Day Extravaganza

- Inaugural Bike Blender Smoothie Sale

- American University’s 3 Day Celebration also click here for more details: AU’s Food Day 2011 Celebration AUFood Day

And so many more!!

Check out the website, find what is going on in or around your neighborhood, and go celebrate Food Day 2011!

Here is a fantastic project that is being done by a former NFI/Rooting DC volunteer, Natasha Bowens, which spotlights the story of a young, female farmer of color and her journey and experiences in feeding her community sustainably, in addition to exploring the history, culture and stories of agriculture in communities of color. Please check out the excerpts below from the indiegogo.org fundraising page for the project, as well as the full project and budget description. Also, please consider making a donation to the project so that Natasha may be able to see it through to fruition.

Here is a little more information on the story and the project from the fundraising website:

the story

// natasha bowens // writer / farmer / activist

My name is Natasha and I am a writer, food justice activist and farmer…a young, brown, female farmer. I put emphasis on those things because of all I’ve learned throughout my journey of growing food.

A desire to feed my community sustainably and give back to the land led me on an eye-opening journey full of history, culture and self-discovery. I not only learned how to grow food, but I was reminded of those that came before me – and shared the same skin color as me.  Those who dug the very first furrows of our fields and who poured sweat, blood and tears into the foundations that make up our agricultural system today. These communities are now, shamefully, on the brink of extinction. Farmers of color hold the dual titles of making up the majority of farmers worldwide, with the shittiest end of the stick in the global agribusiness industry. (this is especially true for women)

I saw these faces and voices missing from the movement to change our food system which has recently been picking up steam in the aisles of Whole Foods and with films like Food, Inc.

So I set out on a mission to find fellow brown farmers and hear their voices for myself. I began documenting my farming journey on my blog Brown.Girl.Farming. and subsequently wrote a series entitled The Color of Food for Grist.org. The response from this community was overwhelming and The Color of Food documentary project became the inevitable next step.

the project

The Color of Food tells the stories of our Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous farmers and the history, fight for survival and beautiful culture that makes up our agriculture.

While revealing the intersection of race and food through the personal stories of farmers of color, this project will also explore the agricultural history and traditional food and farming knowledge passed down within in each community. This photo documentary will also address the movement for food sovereignty and issues with land loss which we see taking place globally today.

These stories and images will be captured with my lens and pen, and published in a photo-essay book, posted via photo/video blog, and exhibited at food justice and food sovereignty events around the country. The documentary will live on and enhance the network within the COLOR of FOOD directory – the global map and directory of farmers of color I founded in 2010.

**This fundraising campaign aims to support the project across North and South America over the next year, further travel and documentation will have to come later with more funding!

Community Education Group (CEG) has been awarded funding through the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and DC Community Health Administration, to support a new and innovative Capacity Building Program, offering free hands-on technical assistance, individual organizational consultants and relevant trainings to eligible community and/or faith based organizations in Wards 7 and 8.  CEG’s Fresh Start wants to help build a brighter future for our organizations, our community, and our people.

While CEG’s Fresh Start is a Capacity Building Program, we take into account your busy schedule and strained budget.  Our services are FREE and RELEVANT.  CEG’s Fresh Start will be at no cost to you, offer our experienced consultants to support your organizational growth and development to increase your ability to meet your agency, client, and community goals.

There are three levels of participation, with one micro-grant award of $5,000 in each category, allowing guaranteed inclusion for your organization.

Category 1:   Provide community garden space to needy individuals and publicize the free/reduced fee.

Category 2:   Make available free, locally grown food in Wards 7 and 8, using a “learn for food” model.

Category 3:  Provide regular physical activity in group settings through classes timed so that potential participants are already on site.

Please see below, links to the Overview of the program, requirements, and application.  The application should be submitted to emily@communityeducationgroup.org or fax: 202 543 9146 due by 5:00, October 21, 2011. Please forward on to those organizations who might be eligible to participate in this exciting program.

Community Education Group Fresh Start Overview of Program

2011 CHA Application

Emily Weaver, Executive Assistant
Community Education Group

Phone: (202) 543-2376 x107 • Fax: (202) 543-9146
emily@communityeducationgroup.org • www.communityeducationgroup.org

Emily Weaver

Executive Assistant

Community Education Group

3233 Pennsylvania Ave, SE

Washington, DC 20020

202-543-2376 x107 (phone)

202-543-9146 (fax)

(This announcement was sent out via the COMFOOD listserve)

Check out the event that’s happening at Georgetown University TONIGHT Tuesday, October 4th, at 5:30! Gerardo Reyes and Greg Asbed of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as well as “Tomatoland” author Barry Estabrook will be present for a presentation and then a wider popular education discussion afterwards. It would be great to have local food justice folks present to bring the local issues and happenings of D.C. to the table!

Click here or on the image below for more information about the event!!

From the Virginia Cooperative Extension:

(This joint VCE – ACOAN workshop is for community gardens organizers.  It is for new and established community garden organizations, neighborhood associations, DOD and local government recreation programs, non-profits, schools staff and volunteers, service clubs, and Extension professionals.)

Have you thought about starting a garden within your community next year?

Is sustainable urban agriculture an interest of yours?

Are you looking for ways to get your neighborhood, family, workplace or classroom connected to the land?

Is local food production or food security a concern of yours?

If so, join us for a free workshop entitled

“Building Communities Through Gardening” on

Tuesday, October 18th from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

at the

Fairlington Community Center,  3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington VA 22206

Pass the Word!!

Come learn more about starting and managing your garden, receive valuable resources and checklists, and learn about best practices from your neighbors in the Arlington and Alexandria communities.  Please click on the link below for a flyer with more information.  Please RSVP to alexcoan@gmail.com to sign up for this workshop.

VCE Flyer “Building Communities Through Gardening”

We look forward to seeing you on October 18th!  Please contact me if you have any questions.

The DC Field to Fork Network, as a collaboration and conversation between many organizations that are helping to change the way that Washington, DC thinks about, acts upon and approaches food, has been a crucial part of holding together this community, educating people about gardening, food, nutrition and cooking. The Network is a cornucopia of organizations, from community gardeners and mentors, to educators for youth and elderly about nutrition, gardening and cooking, to advocates for food security and food access within the District. Everyone plays an important role in carrying out our mission in Washington, DC and due to this work, people are more well educated about food and healthy choices, community gardens have been thriving in spaces which were once  abandoned lots, and residents are pushing for more positive change.

Washington, DC has certainly been making strides in these aforementioned arenas due to this grassroots, “bottom-up” social movement, as are many other cities, towns and regions throughout the United States. However, it is a well-known fact that many locale still have serious obstacles in the form of policies and ordinances which are sometimes still used to hinder such progress in the area of cultivating local foods, communities and education about gardening, human well-being and social justice. Community and private garden initiatives are sometimes made to cut short their operations due to some “legality”.

Recently, one unfortunate turn of events is threatening the work of a local teacher and gardener in Memphis, Tennessee. Though this event is certainly outside the local scope of the Washington Metropolitan region, it hits home in the hearts of many who have met similar obstacles here in our region. Urban gardening is something which many are pursuing whether to supplement the family’s diet or income, and is a topic which continues to grow more ubiquitous in the awareness of the general public.  Culturally, farming and urban gardening is resurfacing in conversation as being an integral part of our heritage and is a part of the cultural fabric which ties us together as communities and as a whole with the natural world.

So why are people still going to jail or being charged of breaking town and city ordinances over the issue of their garden? This is a serious question that we need to engage with if we are to continue to push for change on the local, state and national level in the ways that we view our cultivation, production and consumption of foods.

In this recent case of injustice, Adam Guerrero, a math teacher at Raleigh-Egypt High School n Memphis, Tennessee, has been working on growing a garden, composting, vermiculture, and keeping bee hives at his home. He does this in addition to being a full time math teacher. Coming to his help are three students from the school, who have been mentored (after school) by Mr. Guerrero and have been learning and helping with the gardening, vermiculture and bee keeping that is going on. What a great instance of education and mentorship of young people that is going on outside of the school classroom! However, Mr. Guerrero has been ordered to take apart his garden as he has been cited for being a “public nuisance”.

Please read more about this case through the Tree Hugger Blog (linked to in the above paragraph) as well as an article published by the Memphis Flyer on September 15, 2011.  One way you can help is to read and sign the petition that will be sent to the judge who will hear Guerrero’s case later this week. Other suggestions about how you may be involved are listed at the bottom of the Tree Hugger blog article.

Keep on gardening!