Tag Archives: Heifer USA

Reflections on UVM’s Food Systems Conference

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Editor’s note: This post was written by Heifer’s USA Program Officer Larissa Barry.

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending on Heifer’s behalf a public conference hosted by the University of Vermont (UVM) called Leading the Necessary [r]Evolution for Sustainable Food Systems. The conference was held on the beautiful UVM campus in Burlington, Vermont on Thursday, June 28, 2012. I was there as a part of a two-week long program called The Breakthrough Leaders Program for Sustainable Food Systems along with 27 other inspired and inspiring folks from across the country.

2012 Breakthrough Leaders

Breakthrough Leaders with "Sustainable" Steve Ritz from Green Bronx Machine (in blue). Larissa Barry on far left.

The day brought over 200 participants from across the state and region to a TED-style series of presentations from dynamic speakers from across the country. Covering a range of topics and their relationship to our food systems from venture capitalism, to finding your personal story, to community supported fisheries, to developing new wheat varieties for the New England climate.

There were two speakers who moved me. The first was “Sustainable” Steve Ritz. Steve is a part of the Green Bronx Machine that works with youth in the South Bronx to incorporate growing green walls and roofs into school curriculum in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the United States. He talked, extremely rapidly and passionately (not unlike his TEDx talk), about giving kids healthy alternatives, stating that the South Bronx is the kind of place where “questions of kids getting arrested isn’t about if, it’s about when.” Against this backdrop, he has seen kids learn how to install green walls and roofs where they can earn $17/hours for good work, and earning a living wage is a big part of what keeps them motivated. As Steve says, “now that makes dollars and a whole lot of sense.” They also grow food for the school, local shelters and farmer’s market in the community which bring healthy produce into what is generally considered a food desert.

Steve’s philosophy and what keeps him going every day is that “it’s easier to educate children then it is to fix broken men.” I was inspired by his passion and dedication to the kids in his neighborhood and to seeing them overcome their circumstance and reconnect with their community through growing.

The second speaker whose words had a profound effect was Corie Pierce, a mother and farmer, co-owning and running Bread and Butter Farm in Shelburne, VT just a few minutes from downtown Burlington. Her story about her love for the land and her passion for farming, her journey and her family reminded me of why I work to support family farmers both through my work at Heifer and in my personal life. I’m moved by Corie’s confidence in her life’s work and I aspire to have the deep level of connection she feels to the Earth and working the soil. As a treat, her partner, folk musician Chris Dorman also joined us for a performance – the words haunt me still:

“the land on which we stand is the only thing we have

that can withstand the weight of our lives.

So learn to treat the land like you treat your own two hands,

honor its strength, cherish the gifts it holds” – Chris Dorman

Heifergraphic: Seeds of Change

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Here in the United States, a child is born into poverty every 27 seconds. Data from the USDA suggests that this results in 1 of 5 children being food insecure, meaning that at any time during the year, a child is hungry because of the household’s lack of money and other resources for food. Additionally, the leading causes of death among Americans—heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancers directly linked to poor nutrition—are rapidly on the rise.

There is a direct connection between economic and physical health and our nation’s food system. In communities across the United States some of the critical missing elements to building localized food systems are farmers, businesses, jobs, capacity and infrastructure.

Two significant pockets of poverty in the United States are the Mississippi River Delta in Arkansas and Southern Appalachia. Heifer USA is focusing its work in these two regions, and if you check out the Heifergraphic below, I think you’ll see why:

Heifer USA infographic

Click Heifergraphic to enlarge.

To help end hunger and poverty in the Arkansas Delta and Southern Appalachia, donate here.

WalMart Cutting Cost for Fresh Fruits and Veggies

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, announced Tuesday that it is launching an effort to get healthier foods into homes by cutting the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, lowering the sodium and sugar content in their “Great Value” brand, and by adding a “Great For You” label to foods high in nutritional value.


And they have a powerful ally in First Lady Michelle Obama.


“The largest corporation in America is launching a new initiative that has the potential to transform the marketplace and help American families put healthier food on their tables,” Obama said at the announcement.


And while this move may help improve WalMart’s bottom line, at Heifer we know all too well that too many people in the United States have a limited or uncertain availability to nutritionally adequate foods.


Since we also just launched the Seeds of Change project, which aims to do the same thing in a different way—by creating sustainable food systems in Arkansas and Appalachia with smallholder farmers—to see such a powerful player like WalMart step in and help make better foods affordable to more people is a positive step.


Heifers in the Delta

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Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International

Several Heifer staff, including CEO Pierre Ferrari, have traveled to Hughes, Arkansas, today to meet with  United States Department of Agriculture leaders in celebration of Heifer’s commitment to working in USDA StrikeForce areas.

Heifer recently launched the first phase of our Seeds of Change Project, which aims to improve the income of small farmers in areas of Appalachia and the Arkansas Delta region. It also aims to make healthy foods more accessible to hungry families in the United States by creating sustainable food systems.

Heifer will be working in Woodruff, Monroe, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips, Prairie and Lonoke counties in Arkansas. Most of these Delta counties are part of USDA’s StrikeForce Initiative.

The StrikeForce Initiative is designed to help relieve persistent poverty in high-poverty counties by accelerating USDA assistance while working closely with community based organizations. USDA is currently piloting this initiative in 137 counties in Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi.

Pierre Ferrari will appear along with USDA Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie S. Reed to offer a commitment to impoverished areas of the Arkansas Delta. We’ll have more here on Heifer Blog when our colleagues return with reflections on the event.

SSAWG Conference Through the Eyes of a New Heiferite

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This past weekend, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) held their annual conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Several of our Heifer staff were able to attend and have generously shared their reflections. This post is from Heifer’s USA Country Program Arkansas Project Manager, Senchel Matthews.


My First SSAWG Conference Through the Eyes of a New Heiferite

Photo by Chris Carmichael, courtesy of Heifer International

The Southern SAWG Conference was 4 days of networking,communication and enlightenment.  Theconference provided 1200 participants the opportunity to learn about variousmethods and techniques that will improve their yields, lands and/or managementstyle regardless if you were a novice or an expert.  I had the opportunity on countless occasionsto interact with farmers, agricultural educators, representatives fromgovernment agencies and the private sector from 13 states.  It was also very impressive to see that someof the farmers and a few of the presenters had historical or current ties withHeifer International in some way.  One ofmy most memorable moments occurred during the Arkansas Networking session thattook place Thursday evening.  The roomwas filled with a diverse group of farmers that shared concerns, successstories and offered each other support when needed.  It felt good to know that farmers cared aboutproducing quality food that will not only improve their ability to make aliving wage but provide the masses with key nutrition that is often omittedfrom our daily diets.  During theconference one of the presenters made the profound statement that far too manyAmericans “have bellies that are full but they are still starving.”  The current topics of food security andensuring that sustainable farming practices are passed down to the nextgeneration was not just keynotes for some presenters but an overarching themethat was discussed casually during conversations amongst attendees duringbreaks or meals.   Whether you came to learn about hoop houses,the Farm Bill, beneficial bugs vs. pests, the importance of nutrient rich soil,community organizing, farm finances or how to mix livestock…we all walked awaywith a clearer understanding that sustainable agriculture is vital to ourlong-term success and we must equip all citizens with the education of wheretheir food comes from and how it will impact their health once they consume it.


 TheSouthern SAWG Conference was truly time well spent.

Heifer USA Participants Present at Regional Conference

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This past weekend, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) held their annual conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Several of our Heifer staff were able to attend and have generously shared their reflections. This post is from Heifer’s USA Country Program Transition Officer, Larissa Barry.

On the heels of the close ofthe annual conference, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group(SSAWG) shows its commitment to empowering small farmers across the South.  It’s a commitment that mirrors and supportsHeifer’s own mission and work here in the United States. 
And it makes perfect sense;in fact, we’ve been together on this path for many years.
Photo by Chris Carmichael, courtesy of Heifer International
Southern SAWG’s mission is toempower and inspire farmers, individuals, and communities in the South tocreate an agricultural system that is ecologically sound, economically viable,socially just, and humane.  Heifer USAworks with communities to provide resources and technical assistance to endhunger and poverty and care for the Earth. 

The longer name of the conference isPracticalTools & Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms.  SSAWG has been one of the sources oftechnical assistance that Heifer USA has used to train and educate projectpartners for more than a decade.  The workshopsat the conference offer, as the name implies, very practical examples of thingsfolks can implement on their farms or in the communities immediately.  Things like improved irrigation for bettercrops and management of precious water resources or renewable energy optionsfor rural energy needs or how community organizing is key to making changes inthe food system or how to manage farm business finances.

At the 2012 conference, there wereover 1,200 participants from 20 states.  Therewere many faces that I recognized, not just from my involvement in the localsustainable ag circles, but the faces of Heifer project partners from acrossthe South.  There were current and pastproject farmers and folks from partner organizations, some regular attendeesand some coming for the first time.  Theneatest part is that some of Heifer’s past participants aren’t just conferenceattendees learning from the sessions, some of them were now conferencepresenters, passing on their gifts or knowledge and sharing the fruits of theirhard work.

Both the 2013 and2014 SSAWG conferences are scheduled to be in Little Rock and I know that HeiferUSA is already brainstorming about how we can continue to mutually benefit fromworking together.