FSNE Winter Series Week 1: The Power of the Network

Recording of this session can be found here.

Chat transcript with links here.

As we grapple with pandemic disruptions; reckon with white supremacy, the legacy of colonialism, slavery and systemic racism; and face ever-growing challenges from the climate crisis, the importance of networks and movement building in our food system is growing.

What is the power of the networked approach at this time? 

What are the opportunities for building network momentum and network weaving? 

What are the risks of not being networked? 

How does a network turn into a movement?

Join us to hear from special guests about why food system networks matter in these challenging times, what opportunities exist for networks to make gains across food, farming and fishing sectors, and how we can best guide our collective efforts to impact this important work for food system justice, sustainability and resilience.

Keynote Guests: Stewards from the Mississippi Food Justice Collaborative

Guest Panelists: Jose Oliva (H.E.A.L. Food Alliance), Sarah Danley (Vermont Farm to Plate), Brett Tolley (Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance)

Event Flow:

• 9:00 am to 11:00 am – Opening, “Keychord” Guests, Q&A and discussion breakout groups
• 11:00 am to 11:15 am – Stretch break for everyone
• 11:15 am to 12:45 pm – Network stories from our panelists, Q&A and discussion breakout groups
• 12:45 pm to 1:00 pm – Closing and next steps

Who should attend?

Anyone who considers themselves part of the New England Food System is automatically part of the regional network. Because of the virtual nature of this gathering, food system advocates from outside of New England are also welcome to attend. If your food system working includes farming, fishing, value-added food products, food security, food access, food waste, policy & advocacy, education, planning, distribution and logistics, food justice and food sovereignty….please join us!

This session is free but space is limited and registration is required. The session will be held in English, closed captioned/transcripted and will be recorded for later viewing. Facilitation by Curtis Ogden and Karen Spiller, with support from Lisa Fernandes of the UNH Sustainability Institute.

See information about the full series here!

More about our Mississippi Food Justice Collaborative keynote guests:

Noel Didla: Noel Didla is an immigrant from South India making Jackson, MS home. She currently serves as the chair of the Mississippi Food Policy Council and co-coordinates the MS Food Systems Fellowship and MS Food Justice Collaborative responsibilities with Asha & Liz.

Liz Broussard Red: Liz is a New Hampshire native who is grateful to be making Jackson, MS home. She serves as a Food Justice Project Coordinator at the NCAT Gulf States Office, and co-coordinates the MS Food Systems Fellowship and MS Food Justice Collaborative responsibilities with Asha & Noel.

Asha Tillman: Asha Tillman is a Sustainable Agriculture Specialist at the National Center for Appropriate Technology and co-coordinator of the MS Food Systems Fellowship along with Liz & Noel.

Felicia Bell: Felicia Bell is an Agriculture Specialist at National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Bell is an African American farmer, who was born into a family that sustained themselves from the land with food.

Sunny Baker: Co-Director, Mississippi Farm to School Network

Sarah Medlock: Sarah Swanner Medlock is a tribal member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) and from the Bogue Chitto Community. She has worked for the tribe for 20 years. Since 2016 she has been the Operations Manager for the Office of Economic Development coordinating new educational and workforce development initiatives. She is one of Food Systems Fellows and has recently joined the Steering Committee of the fellowship.

More about our panelists:

Jose Oliva: Jose was the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance a national coalition of food workers. Currently he is the Campaigns Director at HEAL (Health Environment Agriculture and Labor) Food Alliance, a multi-sector coalition representing over 50 organizations in food and agriculture.

Brett Tolley: Brett is the National Program Coordinator for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. He comes from a four-generation commercial fishing family out of Massachusetts and has been involved in network and movement building efforts for the past 15 years.

Sarah Danley: As the Network Manager, Sarah supports many F2P groups including Food Access, Education and Workforce, Farmland Access, and more. She has a background in environmental and land use law, community health, and the arts, and lives on a sheep farm where she is helping to develop a new orchard operation.