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Sustainable Agriculture Louisville is a supporter and affiliate chapter of the Community Farm Alliance, which has a long history of promoting sustainable agriculture in Kentucky.
Please be sure to visit the Community Farm Allianceat http://communityfarmalliance.com
Below are reports by Sustainable Agriculture Louisville members concerning CFA and links and resources associated with CFA.
4/21/02 Report by Ivor Chodowski:
Hi all,
I want to give a brief update with regard to some of the discussion of
CFA's Long-Range Plan committee of Sat. April 13th and the subsequent board
meeting. The upcoming SAL meeting seems likely to have a crammed agenda asit is, so I thought I'd take a moment now, while I have it. Aleve and I both
attended. We reviewed previous plans and while we didn't get into much of
the meat of guiding principles and organizational structure, we did begin to
discuss mission and vision, some of which Andrew quoted from for the
platform. There was some considerable discussion of using more inclusive
language, including urban as well as rural, sexual orientation and
immigration status as well as race, gender, national origin, etc. There
seemed to be some consensus, from what I could tell, building around
including all such new language. There was no apparent dissent. Among the
many things we discussed that seemed clustered around inclusivity, it was
mentioned that, should we want to build alliances with international groups,
and, in particular, with groups from Latin America, Via Campasina was
mentioned, it would seem, at a minimum, necessary to have a document that
would not discriminate on the basis of immigration status. It would also
help, both practically and politically, if CFA would hire someone from the
Hispanic community to work as an organizer. CFA's board has already made
clear that this hiring should be the priority. (It is a situation, perhaps,
not unlike that of SAL and its proposed relationship with Louisville's
African-American community.) It is more pressing now that CFA's researcher,
Victoria Burke, is planning to take a position with UK. Stephen, I know I've
mentioned this to you before, but has anyone come to mind that might serve in
this position?
The board meeting was also interesting with much discussion of what is
going on in Louisville!, including, especially, farmer's market expansion,
Steve Smith's co-op, and a restaurant initiated "buy local" campaign. I
found it exciting. Moreover, it seems possible that more of the weight of
the state organization would be behind what we're doing, because it's so
worthwhile, I think people seemed to be saying. It took not a little doing,
in part, because, an extensive Louisville emphasis is not so specifically in
this year's workplan. This, I think, is the most appropriate gauge of the
excitement around our efforts. We should, I think, be, not so unabashedly,
giving ourselves congratulations.
In other related news, at a previous staff meeting, it came up that I
would likely be offered an extension of my fellowship in the service of our
efforts. Many of you will recall that I said my current fellowship would
expire at the end of June. I am strongly considering this offer. You will,
perhaps, understand that this is a fairly difficult decision for me to make
as a farmer, to say the least. We work incredibly long hours during the
growing season even without any additional encumbrance. But I have to say, I
am very excited about what this group is doing. I am especially excited
about the potential for our very purposeful and appropriate work in West
Louisville and in other limited resource areas. I am excited about the
potential for organizing in these areas. I think the right work in West
Louisville, in particular, both practically and politically, will go a long
way toward the goal of food sovereignty, universal availability of food, a
local food system, just food, just community, or whatever anyone might want
to call it.
Lastly, and, I think, rather importantly, at this same staff meeting,
folks thought I should come up with a "wish list" about what we might need in
Louisville. I hope everyone will take a little time to brainstorm in this
regard. Please, give your input! Some of the things that have already come
up in my conversations include, research of some sort, perhaps, food shed
analyses, help with literature for our group, and visits from and with other
CFA organizers. In the forefront of my mind, is, more general staffing
support, not especially tied to any of the specific work that we do. Rather,
I would like to have the help of someone we might ask to perform in all of
the aspects of what we do. I'll likely push for this sort of help, in part,
because, if I accept this extension, I'll likely take a somewhat scaled back
version. In short, I'll want help. I think we will need help if we want to
accomplish what seems to be in front of us. Moreover, I think, we are in a
very strong position to ask of the state CFA organization some sort of
all-purpose staffing and organizing type help. Who is this person? There is
also the additional very good potential of substantial new grant money
funding these efforts. However, even if we weren't, in some fashion, the
recepient of new CFA grant money, we would still be in a good position. One
of the best deals of being a chapter is that you, generally, get this sort of
help for your membership, your efforts.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting on Wednesday. It seems
like it's been a long time.
take care,
Ivor
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