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Food news and resources for NY-NJ-CT
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October 18, 2022
 

 

Welcome to the October 2022 edition of the Community Food Funders Newslink. This is a monthly compilation of news, articles, reports, and upcoming events for funders in the tri-state region interested in an equitable and sustainable food system. Our past newsletter archive is available online.

We are now open to a wider audience, and invite everyone to sign up to receive this newsletter. You can also follow us on social media at the links below:
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CFF Spotlight

 

"NY Food 2025" Research Briefs

With support coordinated by CFF, New York Food 2025 is a collaborative effort by the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, and the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute to examine the effects of the pandemic on New York City’s food policies and programs and propose specific policy measures the NYC Mayor and City Council can consider and implement to build a stronger, healthier, more just, and sustainable food system in New York City.

A new five-part series of research briefs are being published, building on the group's first report from 2020, and a series of seven briefs released in March, 2022. The first two briefs are:

Selected Events

View the complete events calendar online

 

From Cautious to Courageous | How Foundations Can Step Up Advocacy & Invest in Change

October 20, 2-3:30pm ET
*Funders Only*

In just the past few months, we’ve seen an unprecedented assault on reproductive rights, the heart-breaking need for stricter gun control policies, and cruel efforts to harm trans people and walk back LGBTQ+ protections. These headline-churning developments come on top of ongoing efforts to undermine climate action, criminalize poverty and further erode civil liberties. All too often, philanthropy likes to stay above the political fray. But philanthropic foundations have tremendous leverage – especially when it comes to their ability to invest in social welfare organizations pushing for racial, social, environmental and economic justice. Join The Funders Network, Philanthropy New York, Asset Funders Network and Bolder Advocacy for part two of this funder-only webinar series exploring the benefits of supporting 501(c)(4) organizations, also known as social welfare organizations, as powerful drivers of policy reforms and systemic change.
 

Honoring Silent Spring: Stories from the Frontlines of the Fight for a Pesticide-Free Future

October 25, 1-2:30pm EST
Virtual

Sixty years ago, Rachel Carson released her seminal book, Silent Spring, whose publication gave birth to the EPA, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and sparked the ban on the toxic insecticide DDT and the movement for organic agriculture. Six decades on, the threats Carson warned about are still very real, as pesticide use continues to decimate ecosystems and our bodies, leading to an untold number of cancers, neurological disorders, premature deaths, and reproductive problems. Today, we know another devastating cost: the grave consequences of pesticides, like all the petrochemicals, on our climate. In this engaging webinar, we’ll hear about what’s at stake and what we can do about it. This webinar, from SAFSF, is for everyone eager to learn, get inspired, and take action to carry on the legacy of Silent Spring.
 

Halal and the City

November 17, 6:30-8:30pm
Museum of the City of New York

Where does halal food fit into the context of New York City dining? And how do issues of religion, class, and bureaucracy impact the halal food that’s available and who is able to sell it? In an evening led by Krishnendu Ray, author of The Migrant’s Table and The Ethnic Restauranteur, we’ll learn the answers to questions such as these and more as we hear from a New York City halal food street vendor and Mohamed Attia, director of the Street Vendor Project. Additionally, we’ll go beyond the street cart with Sameen Choudhry of Muslim Foodies, a NYC halal restaurant blog run by three women who are seeking to bridge the gap between the mainstream restaurant and halal restaurants.

Resources & Announcements

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Language Justice in the Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley Farm Hub’s Language Justice Program has launched the Interpretation Equipment Library. Community organizations can now borrow equipment for simultaneous interpretation. Li Sierra who leads the Language Justice program shares the inspiration behind the library and how it works. They have also released an “Introductory Language Justice Guide."
 

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Historic Investment in Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and Rural Projects

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Biden-Harris Administration through the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing up to $2.8 billion in 70 selected projects under the first pool of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity, with projects from the second funding pool to be announced later this year. Ultimately, USDA’s anticipated investment will triple to more than $3 billion in pilots that will create market opportunities for American commodities produced using climate-smart production practices. 
 

NYC Mayor Adams Appoints Qiana Mickie As Director Of New Mayor’s Office Of Urban Agriculture

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Qiana Mickie as director of the newly-created Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture. As director, Mickie will oversee the administration’s efforts to support, strengthen, and expand the city’s network of community gardens and urban farms, in alignment with Mayor Adams’ vision for a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable city. The announcement came as the administration celebrated Climate Week. 
 

USDA Releases Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Strategic Plan 

Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh unveiled USDA’s Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022 – 2026. This plan outlines actions USDA will take to help ensure equitable experiences and service to the American people and USDA’s global constituents and partners.
 

Tides Frontline Justice Fund RFP

Tides Frontline Justice Fund is designed to protect, repair, and prepare communities to confront environmental and climate legal battles in the short to long term against some of the biggest and baddest actors in history. Tides Foundation is excited to announce the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Frontline Justice Fund’s Fall 2022 grantmaking cycle. Proposals will be accepted  through Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 5pm PT. JustFund will hold a grantseeker introductory training on Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. To register for this session, please use this link.  
 

HEAL Food Alliance: School of Political Leadership

Applications are open for the 2023 cohort of HEAL Food Alliance’s School of Political Leadership (SoPL)! Now in its 5th year, SoPL is a six-month long, virtual leadership program that equips frontline, majority Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color leaders working to create more democratic food and agriculture systems that care for people and our planet. SoPL equips our leaders with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to lead campaigns and drive real political change. Applications are due by November 13, 2022. 
 

USDA Regional Food Business Centers RFA

The USDA Regional Food Business Centers will support a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system.  These Regional Food Centers will support producers by providing localized assistance to access local and regional supply chains, including linking producers to wholesalers and distributors. They will provide technical assistance needed to access new markets, access to federal, state, and local resources, and will assist small- and mid-sized producers in overcoming barriers to market access, with a focus on underserved farmers, ranchers, and food businesses. Apply by November 22, 2022, at 11:59 pm EST.
 

Elias Foundation Activist Fellowship Program

The Activist Fellowship Program seeks to strengthen and build social justice movements by developing activists’ skills and capacities in the Hudson Valley. The Foundation hopes to identify and support the work of people from the grassroots (local movement building) and/or frontline communities. [The Foundation is] accepting new letters of intent (LOI) for our final cohort of fellows until November 30thLearn more about the program here
 

VIDEO/AUDIO

Recording: Prevalent, Persistent, and Costly: A Conversation About Food Insecurity in New York State

On September 19, NYHealth hosted a webinar with Rae Gomes, M.F.A., food justice activist and writer, and Jacqueline Bogart, Community Empowerment Coordinator at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, for a discussion about policy actions that decision makers can take to reduce food insecurity and why such actions must be informed by those directly affected by hunger.
 

Video Series: Black Farmers Thriving: Trinity Farms

Black Farmer Fund released the Black Farmers Thriving video series to shift the narrative of the story of Black farmers being one of deprivation and disparity to one that shows our community members acting in their freedom and thriving on the land. Throughout the series, you can see the beauty and healing that can come from the imaginations of Black folks who have what they need to pursue their passions. 
 

Farmworkers to Farm Owners (The Laura Flanders Show)

In this episode, Laura hears from veteran farm labor organizer Dolores Huerta about how helping Latinx farmers thrive would be good for eaters and the planet. She also speaks with Dr. Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern about her book, "The New American Farmer". 
 

LITERATURE

JAFSCD Summer 2022 Issue: Fragility and Resilience in Food Systems

The summer issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (volume 11, issue 4) includes papers on a wide range of food systems topics, many of which relate to both the fragility and the resilience of food systems. Articles of interest may include: Evaluating the successes and challenges toward achieving the Real Food Commitment at Johns Hopkins University, and National food security, immigration reform, and the importance of worker engagement in agricultural guestworker debates
 

Report: National Young Farmer Survey - Building A Future With Farmers 2022

The 2022 National Young Farmer Survey received 10,091 responses, including 4,344 from past, current, and aspiring farmers who self-identified as age 40 and under. Our findings reveal a new generation of farmers answering the call to provide healthy food, steward the land, and cultivate community well-being. They are building diversified operations designed for resilience in the face of a changing climate, and are motivated to farm for conservation, regeneration, and social justice. 
 

Future of Farming CT - The New CT Farmer Alliance Policy 

The New CT Farmer Alliance Policy Platform was written in 2022 by the NCTFA Steering Committee and Policy Working Group. It includes five pillars that we believe are the most important to focus on for the future of farming in Connecticut. It reflects the results of a survey taken by 118 of our members, as well as input from the Steering Committee and other allies and collaborators.

Food in the News


FEATURED ARTICLES

These Women Launched A Fund For Black Farmers Who Were Overlooked By The USDA, Jasmine Browley, Essence, Sep 28 2022

The White House Conference: They Pulled It Off! Marion Nestle, Food Politics, Sep 29 2022

Voices from the White House Conference on Hunger and Nutrition, Lisa Held, Civil Eats, Sep 29 2022
 

ALL NEWS


Foodways, History and Culture

Food and Agriculture Policy

Earth and Environment

Labor

Organizing and Mutual Aid

Philanthropy

Job Opportunities


Farm to Institution New York State Associate, American Farmland Trust (Remote)
Network Services Coordinator, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust (Remote)
Operations Administrator, HEAL Food Alliance (Remote)
(Co-)Executive Director, National Young Farmers Coalition (Remote)
Executive Director, CHANGE Philanthropy (Remote)
Senior Portfolio Manager, Global Initiatives, Natural Resources Defense Council (Remote)
Policy Director, Equity Advocates (NYC)
Strategic Marketing Specialist, GrowNYC (NYC)
Grants and Membership Manager, Snug Harbor (NYC)
Executive Director, Damayan Migrant Workers Association (NYC)
Multiple Positions, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House (NYC)
Multiple Positions, Hot Bread Kitchen (NYC)
Multiple Positions, Soul Fire Farm (Petersburg, NY)
Multiple Positions, CitySeed (New Haven, CT)
Events and Corporate Giving Manager, Riverkeeper (Ossining, NY)
Environmental Program Specialist, Audobon International (Troy, NY)
Fairfield County Co-Site Director, FoodRescue US (Stamford, CT)
Campaign Researcher, Unite Here! (New Haven, CT)
Director of Communications and Marketing, Berkshire-Taconic Foundatin (Sheffield, MA)
Community Network Manager, Equitable Food Oriented Development Collective (Remote)
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