Brooke Smith, Director of WhyHunger’s Grassroots Action Network, is on the road this week in the Mississippi Delta, visiting our partner, Delta Fresh Foods Initiative (DFFI). Over the last several years, WhyHunger has supported development of the DFFI network and programming. Brooke sent us photos to show off the exciting projects they’re working on this spring!
Mound Bayou school gardens
The Mound Bayou school district is participating in the first Delta Farm to School project with the support of the Delta Fresh Foods Initiative. This summer, DFFI will partner with Teach for America interns and Delta teachers to develop the first comprehensive Mississippi-focused school garden curriculum, and align it with the new statewide core curriculum guidelines. By the time the school bell rings next fall, Delta students will be growing fresh fruits and vegetables for their school cafeteria and learning critical math, history, reading and life skills each step of the way!
Dorothy Grady-Scarborough and WhyHunger's Brooke Smith
Dorothy is a mentor and champion for farmers and growers across the Delta. A nutrition advocate, school nurse, youth organizer, Delta Fresh Foods Initiative board member, and all-around community builder, Dorothy is currently converting an abandoned Head Start facility into a comprehensive community center. The five structures are being refurbished by student and community volunteers and include a fitness center; a weekly food pantry; a community kitchen; two greenhouses for production of sprouts and greens; a garden planted with lettuce, sweet potatoes, peppers and onions; compost production; free range chickens; and – on the day I was there – some pretty happy kids playing a pro-level game of tag around the maze of truck-tires planted with bright marigolds and more produce!
WhyHunger invited 40 food justice activists and organizers participating in our Building Community Power initiative to gather in the beautiful mountains of Patagonia, Arizona, for three days of celebration, sharing and challenging ourselves to understand the boundaries and opportunities of movement building.
Building our individual and collective skill sets, expanding our support networks, and drawing inspiration and motivation from each other’s progress and challenges was all part of our time together. We feel incredibly lucky to work with these folks from across the spectrum of careers and geographies–we can’t think of a better group to learn with, and we are honored to be walking beside them in this movement for a just and equitable food system for all!
Learn more about the three participating networks: Delta Fresh Foods Initiative, Somos la Semilla, Central Coast School Food Alliance
By Brooke Smith, Director of WhyHunger’s Grassroots Action Network
For a few amazing autumn days in New Mexico, I had the opportunity to visit and learn from the production innovations, long-term training strategy and layered community leadership of the Agri-Cultura Network and AFSC New Mexico’s Farmer-to-Farmer training program. Check out snapshots of the trip with WhyHunger Community Learning Project friends and partners Aaron Cardona, Cesar Lopez, Don Bustos, Fidel Gonzalez and Patrick Jaramillo.
-
-
Hoop houses on Don Bustos’ Santa Cruz Farm in Espanola, NM, produce thousands of pounds of produce every season.
-
-
Visiting a training and production farm in Albequerque, NM.
-
-
The team at the South Valley Economic Development Center, where the post-harvest processing takes place.
-
-
Don, Aaron and Cesar visiting an Agri-Cultura Network training site in Espanola, NM.
-
-
Fidel demonstrates how he’s using passive solar techniques to heat the greenhouse during the cooler months.
-
-
Fidel shows us his sprouts.
The Mississippi Delta in mid-July is not everyone’s idea of the perfect summer destination. But you don’t even notice the heat (one afternoon my car temp gauge read 109!) when you’re listening to farmers like Dustin Pinion, of Beaverdam Farms, and Frank Wilbourn talk about the innovations on their small family farms. In different corners of the Delta–Mr. Wilbourn’s farm is in the northern town of Marks, and Beaverdam Farms is in Indianola, closer to the middle of the 18 Delta counties–both men are using sustainable farming principles and practices to grow healthy, affordable vegetables, herbs and livestock. Supported by WhyHunger’s partner, the Delta Fresh Foods Initiative, farmers like Wilbourne and Pinion are receiving and giving training, infrastructure, and marketing support to growers across the region. If you want to learn more about fresh produce available in the region, check out DFFI’s “Fresh List” and find more Delta-based farmers’ market links on Facebook.
-
-
Frank Wilbourn gets ready to take his produce to the Clarksdale farmers’ market.
-
-
Mr. Wilbourn just finished building a new farm stand where he plans to sell his produce in style!
-
-
The farm store at Beaverdam Farms sells eggs, chicken, tomatoes, and other produce being grown on the farm.
-
-
Dustin Pinion gives Delta Fresh Foods Initiative a tour of the hoop houses, chicken tractors, pig pasture, compost centers and recylced oil storage at Beaverdam Farm.
-
-
The mobile chicken coop travels to different parts of the farm property every 90 days- providing fresh grass for the chickens and natural fertilizer for the farm.
-
-
Over 400 “layers” are free to graze or cruise up their ramp into the trailor. Pinion sells fresh eggs at local farmers’ markets, in the farm stand and through buying clubs.
