Resources To Help Us Understand Institutional Racism in the Food System and Movement

By failing to acknowledge the power and pervasiveness of institutional racism, many well-intended whites engage in what is called color-blind racism. That is, failing to see how racial oppression and privilege have shaped a situation. Three great resources on this topic are Eduardo Bonilla Silva’s book Racism Without Racists, Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” available at http://mmcisaac.faculty.asu.edu/emc598ge/Unpacking.html and pretty much anything by Tim Wise (books, web posts, you can even find some of his talks on youtube). Tim Wise’s work is part anti-racist education and part comedy, so it works best
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Oxfam Paper on Players of Global Food System

HI folks – I recently posted at paper at the Social Science Research Network that highlights some of the players in the global food system. This work was done for Oxfam America. You can view it at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1337273. Mary

Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D.
Extension Associate Professor
Department of Rural Sociology
Director, Food Circles Networking Project
Associate Director, Community Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Program
200 Gentry Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211

Tele: 573–882–7463
Fax: 573–882–5127
Web: www.foodcircles.missouri.edu and www.foodandsocietyfellows.org

Try this website: http://www.grassrootsonline.org/publications/educational-resources/download-food-thought-action-a-food-sovereignty-curriculum

Module 1: Consumers

Dan
Daniel Winans
Faculty Coordinator EcoGastronomy Dual Major
Lecturer Department of Hospitality Management
Whittemore School of Business and Economics
University of New Hampshire

Durham, NH 03824
603–862–3327
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Links for Family Farmers to Innovative Ddeas to Help Their Farms Thrive!

Check out Appalachian Sustainable Development’s program: Healthy Families, Family Farms

http://www.asdevelop.org/Healthyfamilies.html

Jennifer Fahy | Farm Aid | 11 Ward Street | Somerville, MA 02143 | 617.354.2922 p | 617.354.6992 f | www.farmaid.org

Farm Aid’s new online tool, the Farmer Resource Network, links family farmers to innovative ideas to help their farms thrive!
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Links to Farm-To-Chef Education/Distribution

Melanie Cheng (cc’d here) developed www.OmOrganics.org as a Phase I towards building farm-to-chef education and distribution. She’s now launching http://www.farmsreach.com/, in multiple cities, which provides, in essence, an online ordering system for chefs direct to farmers.
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Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Programs

There are a number of other programs that have been developed over the years, many of which with the backing of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, via their Food & Society programs (see: http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=19&NID=61&LanguageID=0) - ones that come to mind offhand include: http://www.redtomato.org/, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers’ Grower Collaborative http://www.caff.org/programs/growerscollaborative.shtml, and Marin Organic – www.marinorganic.org – runs some distribution serve between farmers and chefs.

Michael Straus, President

Straus Communications, LLC

Post Office Box 2257

San Francisco, CA 94126

Direct: (415) 777–1170 x302

Cell: (415) 519–8343

Fax: (415) 373–3702

Websites:

Social Networking:

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Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Network(MUAN) Sparking Milwaukee/Madison Urban Ag Research and Action Agenda

W. UW-Madison’s Soil Scientist Steve Ventura & Sam Dennis Landscape Architecture

This is the last minute reminder of Tuesday’s MUAN meeting at 5:00 at our default meeting site Coffee Makes You Black, 2803 N. Teutonia Ave. one block north of Center.

Steve Ventura, Chair of the Dept of Soil Science at Madison is coming and bringing his colleague, Sam Dennis from Landscape Architecture to help facilitate a discussion of what we want to know practically in order to create backyard gardens in the city, which are also some of the key research issues in urban ag: — what do we want to know, what do we already know, what our information resources are, and what kinds of projects might help provide answers where we have knowledge gaps.

What Steve would like to end up developing with us is a research agenda for urban ag. It’s what UW/Madison would be interested in pursuing with us to develop a good knowledge base to formalize and disseminate.

See you all there, then…

Julilly Kohler, Feb. Coordinator.
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Sarah Chayes Inspiring Work in Afghanistan

On the subject of agriculture in Afghanistan: Sarah Chayes, who used to be a reporter for NPR and has lived in Afghanistan for several years, believes that improving agriculture can help pull many people out of poverty (and avoid the temptation to grow opium poppies). A little over a year ago she wrote an article for the Atlantic Monthly about her efforts to help Afghanis build a cooperative that makes soaps and other body products from fruits, flowers and nuts for export (using ingredients derived from pomegranates, wild roses, apricots, almonds and etc.).

Earlier this week, she was on NPR’s Fresh Air talking about the current situation, which is extremely bleak (Taliban resurgence and backbreaking corruption in government). In some of her earlier radio and TV interviews (e.g., on Fresh Air, Moyers, WBUR’s On Point, probably available on the internet for streaming), she talks about the challenge of working with international aid organizations, which expect Afghan peasants to produce detailed business plans or are looking to invest tens of millions into a project, when only small amounts are needed.

She’s truly a courageous and inspiring person.

Links to items mentioned above:
Her web page: http://www.sarahchayes.net/
The Atlantic article: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/afghans
The most recent Fresh Air interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100189461 (also available for download via podcasting software like iTunes)

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Madison’s Chuck Learned Offers Some Cutting Edge Community Investment Concepts

Yes of course the concepts of community investing have a great deal of merit. Your particular project would be a great Mondragon effort, we need to put people to work and everybody eats food and this model does not need to make anyone rich with high margins rather to provide value and employment and a sustainable means to grow food. The more multiple layering of enterprises in the natural fish raising loop and the building space, the greater the viability of your project.

We are in the formation stage of creating community investment structures and the creation of holding companies that facilitate synergy and community ownership. In our case we are focusing on the counties surrounding Madison. If you were in the Madison area with this project it would be something we could cooperate with you on. I am happy to share some of our community investment start up outlines.

The issuing of a Sweet water stock or currency comes to mind and you could have a couple of levels of choice. Guaranteed fish and greens return: Where they can redeem at a specified date or a specified rate of “cash in” to control your cash flow. You can print a currency, but make sure its fool proof or you can use a smart card that can record or a gift card format.

Venture Capital: Patient risk capital where people that are willing to get more fish and greens for the buck by waiting a few years to allow you to not be pressured in the short term. I would think in terms of 2–3 times the return of their initial investment.

Another community investment tool could be that people work with you in a bond format or community investment notes where the notes are offered at 2–3% and placed in a bank to which they lend to you with more flexible criteria. People could also purchase CD’s which are insured and the bank or credit union could lend to you via these deposits. This is a new person to person lending model, not currently practiced by banks however a person to person company is doing it in concert with a handful of credit unions. You also could work with the likes of RSF www.rsf.org as they do community lending with small enterprises in triple bottom line lending. Local banks should be willing to borrow as well, they certainly can see the success of Wills model.

The great thing about these CSA approaches is it builds the customer base and builds a buy in to your success and partnerships and goodwill activity that could be very valuable

People can also offer expertise you desire in exchange for fish and greens.

There are technology tools like www.thepoint.com that could allow you to gather the pre-commitments and nobody would get charged until you reach your goal. This minimizes the risk of commitment. The point uses credit cards for the commitment process and peoples cards are activated when the goal is reached and people can pull out up to that time of tipping.

There is going to be some new glass introduced by Guardian Glass supposedly this year which they are holding close to their chest apparently as I can’t find it on their website this glass will be R13 using Vacuum technology and structural capability in the glass. It sounds totally game changing. It would be great to bring this glass capability to Wisconsin which I would love to partner with as we get going. This would make a huge difference to your operating heating cost. Never mind what they ask for the glass Pay it….(within reason :-) )

I have attached a few documents that gives you a look into our formation thinking. Of course it would be great to replicate this community investment model in the Milwaukee region however I need to start with one, to stay effective. I totally agree on sharing back office support services to make enterprises more efficient and synergistic.

Have you done any cash flow work or business modeling, desired capital to be raised?

Are you submitting a jobs creation abstract to the new department regarding the stimulus package? It seems like a good fit for shovel ready investment.

http://165.189.60.135/suggestions.asp?locid=164

I cc’d someone I know who is interested in Mondragon efforts I will leave it up to him whether he wishes to contact you Godsill. If our scope of region changes or the Mondragon efforts evolve to where we could work together I will certainly see your efforts of interest. For me I have to keep my eye on the ball of getting this local fund launched. You have a wonderful name Godsill, I think I would like to change my name to yours!

Regards,

Chuck

Key Concepts From Chuck Learned “Community Investment Structures”

• more multiple layering of enterprises

• community investment structures

• holding companies that facilitate synergy and community ownership

• community investment start up outlines

• Sweet water stock or currency: Guaranteed fish and greens return

• Venture Capital: 2–3 times the return of their initial investment.

• Bond Format or Community Investment Notes where the notes are offered at 2–3% and placed in a bank to which they lend to you with more flexible criteria.

• People could also purchase CD’s which are insured and the bank or credit union could lend to you via these deposits

• RSF www.rsf.org as they do community lending with small enterprises in triple bottom line lending

• People can also offer expertise you desire in exchange for fish and greens.

• There are technology tools like www.thepoint.com that could allow you to gather the pre-commitments and nobody would get charged until you reach your goal. This minimizes the risk of commitment. The point uses credit cards for the commitment process and peoples cards are activated when the goal is reached and people can pull out up to that time of tipping.

• Are you submitting a jobs creation abstract to the new department regarding the stimulus package? It seems like a good fit for shovel ready investment.

http://165.189.60.135/suggestions.asp?locid=164

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Texas troops combat Afghan insurgents with farming plan

By JIM LANDERS / The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/dmn/stories/020109dninttexasguard.4102ed4.html

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GHAZNI, Afghanistan – Fifty-two Texas National Guard men and women are planning an attack on a Taliban stronghold near here that other Army units estimate would take thousands of U.S. and Afghan soldiers to capture.

The Texans plan to win the battle of Khajanoor Farms without firing a shot.

This is not a plot for a Chuck Norris thriller about “One riot, one Ranger.” Instead, it’s an example of the U.S. military’s new counterinsurgency strategy, where winning friends and providing government-backed services are more important than pulling triggers.

A Texas National Guard Agribusiness Development Team plans to defeat the Taliban’s hold on the big wheat-seed farm at Khajanoor by building a larger, quality seed farm in the high mountain plains of Ghazni province.

Eyes on the Prize of Israeli and Palestinian Peace Activists Helping Set up Fish Farms in Gaza

I and Elisheva Kaufman have been sharing visions and beginning to connect with people, eyes on the prize of developing fish farming projects with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists in Gaza.

Here is Elisheva’s fantastic presentation of Will Allen’s Growing Power Aquaculture System:

: http://www.growseed.org/growingpower.html

Here is a story about a major commercial aquaculture system in an industrial slum transformation project:

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/HomePage

And last night Holly Haebig’s father, Tom, agreed to inspire the many peace groups in Milwaukee to consider working with Elisheva’s project over the years!

Heritage Wheat Conservancy Supports Effort to Establish Aquaculture Systems in Gaza

The Heritage Wheat Conservancy would be honored to cooperate in this constructive strategy. We have worked in the Mideast for years quietly building cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian farmers and scientists.
See:
growseed.org/wheat.html
growseed.org/nourishingpeace.html

The USDA stores a collection of 1646 varieties of wheat from Afghanistan.

Villagers under the Hisballah influence always say it is because Nasrallah provides them with practical support for jobs and food.

Kindly,
Eli