Uproot Racism in the Food System
Why We Do It
We are working to uproot racism in the food system by focusing on three areas in need of transformation:
We need equity in access to land, sustenance, and power in the food system. The food system is built upon land theft and genocide of indigenous people and the exploitation of Black and Brown labor. Black farmers currently operate around 1.2% of the nation’s farms, having lost over 12 million acres to USDA discrimination, racist violence, and legal trickery. 78% of the people working the land in the US are Latinx migrant workers, yet only 3% of farms are owned and operated by Latinxs. People of color are disproportionately likely to live under food apartheid and suffer from diabetes, heart disease, and other diet related illness. Labor laws continue to permit the exploitation of farm and food workers.
We must reverse industrial agriculture’s damage to the planet and harm to vulnerable communities. Industrial agriculture is responsible for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of water use, and 37% of land use. Environmental impacts of climate change, pesticide exposure, and toxic pollutants harm communities of color disproportionately. Regenerative farming practices rooted in African-Indigenous wisdom and technologies are part of the solution to feeding the world without undermining its ecology, and have been ignored, erased, or appropriated by mainstream society.
It is time to heal from a history of oppression that has disconnected our communities from land. A history of land-based oppression and forced migration have resulted in a concentration of people of color in urban environments, often devoid of the psycho-spiritual and somatic benefits of connection to the earth. “Nature deficit disorder” can lead to ADHD, anxiety, depression, poor eyesight, and lower achievement in school. Lack of access to quality food and outdoor play is putting youth at higher risk for early onset diabetes and learning challenges, and later in life, heart disease, sleep apnea, psychological challenges, stroke, and cancer.
Seed community food SOVEREIGNTY
What We Do
We use Afro-indigenous agroforestry, silvopasture, wildcrafting, polyculture, and ancestral farming practices to regenerate 80 acres of mountainside land, producing fruits, plant medicine, pasture-raised livestock, honey, mushrooms, cultural seeds, and vegetables, with the majority of the harvest provided to people living under food apartheid and targeted by state violence. Our ancestral farming practices build topsoil, sequester soil carbon, and increase biodiversity. Buildings are designed to minimize impact on the environment in construction and use, and be durable for generations to come.
Through our “Afro-Indigenous Farming” immersion and workshops we annually equip hundreds of adults and youth with the land-based skills needed to reclaim leadership as farmers and food justice organizers in their communities, to heal their relationship with earth, and to imagine bolder futures. Using land as a tool to heal from racial trauma, we work to reverse the dangerously low percentage of farms being owned and operated by people of color and increase the leadership of people of color in the food justice movement. Through our Fellowship Program, graduates receive ongoing support to access resources, land, funding, mentorship, and platform.
We are mobilizing the public to create a racially just food system. We collaborate with regional, national, and international food sovereignty coalitions to advance reparations, establish action platforms, and work on campaigns for farmer survival and dignity. Each year, we inspire thousands of community members through speaking at conferences, publishing articles/book chapters, and facilitating workshops for activists to share tangible methods for dismantling racism in the food system and increasing community food sovereignty.
We uplift radical community care. In line with our work to advance healing justice and liberation in the wider community, we commit to an internal team culture that uplifts compassionate communication, ample rest, distributed leadership, fair compensation, and investment in personal and professional development. We maintain an organizational infrastructure that is responsive, transparent, and accountable.
2024 STRATEGIC GOALS
FARM ECOSYSTEM:
– Maintain soil organic matter at an average of ≥10% and perennial cover at 75%+ for carbon capture and soil health.
– Increase food production capacity by 15% to meet the needs of the program kitchen given campus completion. Accomplished through crop planning, use of two additional high tunnels, and expanded mycological operations.
– Share the perennial plant bounty with Soul Fire in the City members by providing seedlings and scion on a beta/pilot basis.
– Refine and improve biological management of pests and diseases in the crop fields and orchard.
SOLIDARITY SHARES:
– “Solidarity Share” at least $25K of naturally-grown farm products through weekly doorstep delivery to households and BIPOC-centered organizations surviving food apartheid, reaching 100+ individuals.
– Over 80% of Solidarity Share members report positive impacts on their health and household economies.
– Support Solidarity Share members as home gardeners by offering container gardening “kits” and seedlings.
– Sponsor at least 10 shares through the Schenectady Food Box Program.
FARM-TO-TABLE:
– Provide 75% SFF farm-fresh ingredients for 1300+ culturally rich meals served to farmer trainees.
– Model safe processes for making quality value-added herbal and food products as part of the educational experience of farmer trainees.
– Herb and value-add drying, storing, and processing takes place in the completed program center. Procedures developed and refined for wholesale herb distribution to BIPOC.
– Offer value added products through a new donation-based program for Capital Region BIPOC-centered organizations, in addition to existing channels via our online store, distributing a combined total of 1200+ units.
INFRASTRUCTURE:
– Increase the efficiency, safety, and quality of life of staff and participants by completing the design-build process for the Program Center, Abode, and Lodge renovations.
– Develop processes and expand Campus Use Guide and Safety Guide for new and existing spaces, to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable utilization. Develop multilingual instructional signage corresponding with use guidelines.
– Complete landscape design and begin implementing to create accessible pathways, native species plantings, and tree safety management.
– Offer sliding scale rental space to mission aligned organizations on a beta/pilot basis, with a special emphasis on local organizations.
FARMER TRAINING:
– Train 75+ rising BIPOC farmers at 4 immersions (including 3 FIRE Immersions and 1 Farm-To-Table) with 50%+ of graduates using the skills they learned in service of community food and land sovereignty.
– Gather institutional knowledge about Spanish First, Builders, and Youth Immersions
– Start developing a Praxis Series to help other BIPOC farms develop similar types of programs.
– Plan for return of Spanish Immersion in 2025.
– Train 5000+ rising BIPOC farmers and land stewards with 2 new LOL releases & existing library.
– Create instructional IG Reels.
– Train 90+ rising BIPOC farmers, land stewards through 3 daylong in-person workshops.
– Engage with 20+ rising BIPOC farmers, land stewards, and LJ practitioners at a Spanish overnight program.
SOUL FIRE IN THE CITY:
– Provide perennial fruit-bearing shrubs (raspberries, currants, elder) to SFitC participants
– Build 10 new urban gardens and support previously built gardens with supports including crop planning, seedling deliveries, technical assistance, and educational workshops.
– Deepen relationships with returning gardeners by adding trellis, vertical gardening, and polyculture services.
– Host two outdoor SFitC events in the 518, and invite gardeners to other SFF programs.
– The majority of participants report a joyful and successful experience harvesting produce from their gardens and increased food access.
COMMUNITY FARM EVENTS:
– Inspire 600+ local and regional community members to connect to the land, respect farmers, and advocate for food justice through 16+ work and learn days and 6 farm tours.
– Facilitate on-farm youth food and land justice programs (day-long and overnight) for 75+ local and regional BIPOC youth.
– Train community members with knowledge and skills for building and construction by hosting an Advanced Builder Workshop, hosting Open Shop days and planning for a builders immersion in 2025.
– Foster joyful connection with land and community for 300+ participants in our SOULstice and Equilibrium festivals.
– Integrate intergenerational spaces in all programs.
75% of those visiting the farm report taking subsequent action to heal the food system.
FELLOWSHIP & ALUMNI SERVICES:
– Support 32 existing and 10 new BIPOC beginning farmers in the 18-month “Braiding Seeds Fellowship,” providing a $50K stipend, 1:1 mentorship, land finding services, media promotion, business planning, and networking opportunities to support their farms (details here).
– Provide technical assistance and referrals to 75+ alumni and community partners.
– Regrant $60K+ to alumni and fellowship networks.
– Engage 30+ alumni as members of our speakers collective.
– A 10% increase in alumni and community partners that have access to relevant, holistic TA support.
COALITIONS:
– Collaborate regionally, nationally, and internationally with frontlines BIPOC-led coalitions (HEAL, NBFJA, Black Farmers NE Ecosystem, Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Nation) on campaigns to support farmworkers, rematriate land for indigenous people, advance reparations for Black farmers, and regenerate ecosystems.
– Explore possible frameworks for international solidarity.
– In collaboration with the Peace Pagoda, complete the return of 250 acres of land to the Mohican nation and support their forest management efforts.
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA:
– In collaboration with our “ecosystem” of sibling organizations, continue to author and revise a nationally-recognized reference library of guides, policy platform, and manuals for food sovereignty, including a new TA directory.
– Reach 50,000+ people through publications, media interviews, Instagram live show, Love Notes blog, and other virtual forums. Create IG live series centered on natural building.
– Enhance social media impact through metrics development, auditing, and calendaring.
– Complete the manuscript for Soul Fire Farm’s cookbook.
UPROOTING RACISM & PUBLIC SPEAKING:
– Catalyze the transfer of resources and power to BIPOC Farmers through powerful storytelling to 8,000 attendees of public speaking events, with a focus on sharing our platform among staff, alumni, and partners.
– Catalyze anti-racist food systems change through deft facilitation of the asynchronous Uprooting Racism in the Food System (URFS 101), and the action planning URFS 201, reaching 1000+ participants.
– At least 75% of registered participants report concrete actions toward food justice and land sovereignty as a result of what they learned.
– Establish clear, revised speaking engagement criteria for Speaker’s Collective members.
– Establish clear, revised guidelines for media presence on the farm.
WORK CULTURE, GOALS & POLICIES CULTURE:
– Expand our capacity to engage Spanish first speakers in our educational programs by deepening staff knowledge and engagement about language justice, forming a language justice team to lead visioning and action planning and exploring the hiring of an LJ coordinator for 2025.
– Clearly articulate our theory of change, vision and values.
– Sr. Managing Director onboarded and ready to effectively support the team.
– Increased reporting by staff that SFF has a healthy work culture of 5% over 2023 reporting, from 80% to 85%.
– Updated guidelines and handbooks on security, health and safety.
– Evaluation processes that are well planned, coordinated and aligned.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION:
– Maintain the financial integrity of the organization through a 12-month operating reserve, diversified income stream, maintaining ethical standards to discern sources of our funding, and stewarding long-term relationships with donors through 100% on time reporting rate and personal outreach.
– Continue to improve our donor retention strategies to increase our donor retention rate to 42%.
– Improve awareness of planned giving options by creating a detailed FAQ on our website ensuring the necessary information for initiating planned giving is easily accessible.
– Attain 200+ monthly recurring donors by implementing a strong sustainer campaign.
– Clarify and share publicly our sponsorship policy on our website.