Vea esta pagina en español

Have you been looking to dive deeper into the world of soil health, and discuss what practices make the most sense for your farm? This event is a space for BIPOC farmers to explore connections with customers, markets and soil health. Together, we’ll be exploring our strengths, needs and opportunities within our farms, including discussions on the option of organic certification. We’ll develop a more clear understanding around the intersections of our financial investments, love for farming and desire to serve our communities.

This event is a part of a series throughout Massachusetts of networking and technical assistance opportunities around organic farming, specifically certifying organic. If you have questions or interests on if it’s right for your farm or about certification in general, this is a great way to get involved. Come with questions and your thoughts.  We’ll be collecting them and addressing concerns at future technical assistance events.

During this event, we will:

• Have conversations around organic farming in our communities and what practices make sense for us
• Explore the conversations and questions around certifying organic, including thoughts, concerns, opportunities and barriers
• Enjoy a delicious local meal 
• Learn about the multiple opportunities and resources available for farmers

Schedule/Agenda:

5:00 pm – Arrival

5:15 pm – Introductions & networking

5:30 pm – Dinner 

6:00 pm – Discussion and break out groups

7:45 pm – Wrap up

 

Location:  2nd floor Springfield Union Station: Hispanic-American Library

Address: 55 Frank B Murray St,  Springfield, MA 01103.

Parking is available at 125 Liberty Street, Springfield, MA.

 

About the Instructors:

Ulum Pixan Ahtohil Suk’il (Bird Spirit) (she/her).  Equity and Inclusion Director

Ulum Pixan (Original Name), aka Dania Flores (colonized/legal name), is an Indigenous mixed-race woman (Maya, Xinca, Garifuna, Russian Jew and ladino), mother and grandmother. She was born in Guatemala, Mesoamerica, and moved to the United States in 1999. She has always been involved with community organizing around aboriginal, women’s, language, and environmental issues. Ulum is a critical thinker, farmer and activist. As NOFA/Mass’s Equity and Inclusion Director,  and former Education Director, she leads the equity efforts of the organization, promoting our anti- racist principles and commitment to dismantling oppressive systems that keep our communities hungry and poor.

Languages : English/Español

About the Project:

This event was made possible by the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), a national program that helps farmers navigate the ins and outs of certification, and provides mentorships and technical assistance to those who are considering organic certification. 

There is a history of BIPOC farmers not receiving or having unequal access to the resources that are provided by government agencies. This event is a safe space for us to discuss those inequities, look at how they apply to our farmers and communities, and consider how we may interact with them going forward. It is important to NOFA/Mass that we prioritize and deeply consider the gifts, needs and concerns of our BIPOC farmers.

This event is for BIPOC farmers. White allies are encouraged to attend other events, join Caucus groups at our conferences, or make a donation to racial equity programming. Thank you.

Refund/Inclement Weather Policy:

This is a free event and will be rescheduled if needed. For information on our refund and inclement weather policy, click here. 

Capacity:

Space is limited! Register by 2/16, after that, email [email protected] to get on the wait list. If you registered and cannot attend, please let us know.

Sponsors

USDA Organic Transition Initiative and the Transition to Organic Partnership Program

 

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]