Systems That Take Food from Field to Table Can Be More Equitable

Food is everywhere in our daily lives, but we see so little of the impact on the people who bring it to us.

As a long-time rural resident, I see food all around me. There are vast fields, large herds of cattle, silos, barns, and tractors. Hidden among these large-scale farms is an abundance of small-scale agriculture operations—farm-to-table restaurants, emerging gardeners, organic growers, foragers, and fiber. All are part of the food systems that we depend upon.

Consider the unmet needs of immigrants and refugees and Native Americans.

Food systems thrive when an ecosystem of growers, farmers, and ranchers share the responsibilities of meeting the demand for healthy, affordable food. We seldom consider the many people involved in the food chain that brings food from farms to our tables. Or more seldom still, our misconceptions about the people involved and their relationship to us and the food chain.

Consider immigrants and refugees. Media often portrays them as the laborers who harvest our food. Yet plenty of them are also seeking to purchase land to raise cultural foods for their families and to sell at farmers’ markets.

Consider, too, Native Americans. Many live in rural areas, and their ancestors have cultivated food across our land for millennia. Their practices are based on cultural wisdom passed down through families for generations. This wisdom has always informed America’s food systems. Native Americans want more support for this wisdom so it can thrive in generations to come.

Our grantmaking approach supports communities’ efforts to change food systems.

For years, we’ve funded nonprofits from the communities involved in the food chain but who aren’t thriving, and often by design. Food systems need to change so that these communities can thrive along with the rest of us.

Our new grantmaking approach takes this into account by supporting the efforts of priority communities to reimagine and restructure systems to better meet their needs. This applies to food systems, as well. Grantee organizations do this by listening to what growers, ranchers, food-related businesses, and others from their communities need in order to establish and sustain operations. Then, they design programs and other responses tailored to what they hear. It’s our job to fund and support them in this work.

Here’s what it looks like to change food systems in our region.

These efforts look different for different communities.

For example, Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) owns a 155-acre farm in Dakota County, MN (about 20 miles south of St. Paul). The farm was purchased to provide 20 of HAFA’s member farmers with long-term leases on plots between five and 10 acres in size where they raise vegetables and fruits and grow flowers.

Acquiring long-term access to land means the farmers can raise both annual and perennial crops. This is important because establishing perennial crops is a long-term proposition, which provides economic security and helps farmers cultivate and increase land fertility. Long-term access provides a consistent location for farmers to sell their products and build relationships with their customers, as well.

HAFA farmers also sell their produce through a community support agriculture (CSA) structure at the St. Paul farmers’ market and through HAFA’s food hub. In the CSA model, customers purchase a share of farmers’ produce that is delivered to a centralized location weekly. HAFA farmers participate in a multi-farmer CSA, which aggregates produce to be distributed to over 400 members. The CSA structure and HAFA’s long-term access and support have helped its farmers increase their incomes and approach parity with other farmers at the markets.

Native American communities have a slightly different model. Community and culture are at the center of it.

For instance, Makoce Agriculture Development in Porcupine, SD, purchased a mobile processing unit to process locally raised chickens. It’s also exploring plant-based energy options. It partners with other Native-led nonprofits to support local gardeners and farmers and ranchers by building collaboration through the Oceti Sakowin Food Systems Alliance.

This alliance helps build an environment where the community can learn from each other and create the elements of a food system “designed to regenerate equitable healthy communities, economies, and our environment.” One of the goals is also to support food sovereignty, a growing movement across Native communities. What this means is that the Native food systems are owned and operated by Native Americans—self-determined—so that these systems can align with cultural wisdom and community needs.

These are just a couple of the solutions we’re supporting from our priority communities. There are dozens more. 

Tell me your thoughts.

We’re interested in learning about other solutions and sharing more about the solutions we’re funding. If you’d like to engage on this, I invite you to contact me so we can connect and learn from each other.