by Gail Patrice Lockert Anthony Agriculture in Africa began about 7000 BC in Central Africa and approximately 5200 BC in the Sahara (the Sahara had a much different biome then). Black and Brown communities have farmed, gardened, and produced their own food for millennia. We understood the land and tools and growing cycles. We understood…

The Green New Deal is increasingly becoming a hot topic in discussions about climate change. Introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward J. Markey earlier this year, the Green New Deal is a plan to fight climate change through moving away from fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy,…

On Wednesday, October 2nd, as part of the work Groundswell Center is involved in with the Finger Lakes Land Access Reconciliation and Reparations Working Group, a group of community members from the larger Ithaca Area drove the hour up the lakeside to join people from the Gayogo̱hó:no nation to create and cultivate community. The day…

On Sunday, September 8th, a group of folks convened at Bloodnick Farms, in Apalachin, NY to attend a workshop led by Lisa Bloodnick called “Seed-saving: A Peaceful Resistance”. Luckily, the weather held out, although we learned that any amount of wind is helpful when threshing and winnowing some seeds. But before we get to the…

Panel feat. Marquan Jones, Cornell ’20, and Kathleen Pasetty, owner of Manndible Cafe This month’s Farming for Justice Discussion Group was just the tip of the iceburg as far as the local conversation goes about food insecurity, and experiences surrounding it at Cornell University. We were fortunate enough here at Groundswell Center to facilitate the…

It is an honor to share space with other individuals in the community to discuss land access, reconciliation, reparations and rematriation. Groundswell Center, if you don’t know already, is part of the Finger Lakes Land Reconciliation and Reparations Working Group, comprised of other individuals representing other local organizations: The Youth Farm Project, Rocky Acres Community…

The San Diego Food System Alliance put out a brief article, that begins by succinctly describing the 2017 Ag-Census, and why its now 2019 and we’re only talking about it now: “This is an 820-page report that boasts 6.4 million new points of data about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them. You…

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the Cayuga Nation Farm, which is part of the Cayuga Nation Immersion School. In case you didn’t know – The Gayogohó:no, are the original people of the land that is now known as parts of the Eastern Finger Lakes Region, surrounding Cayuga Lake. Gayogohó:no, translates to “People…

“How might growing culturally-appropriate foods and saving their seeds deepen food justice work?,” This was the question posed by Owen Taylor of Truelove Seeds to Tuesday’s group of food activists in this month’s Farming for Justice Discussion. The conversation spanned from seed stories, the origin of Truelove Seeds, the importance of seed-keeping, to sharing some…

March 7th and 8th, we were graced with another visit by Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm, as she shared her presentation “Farming While Black”, inspired by her recent book, “Farming While Black.” She also facilitated two Land Access and Reparations Workshops, one open to the whole community, and another specifically for the BIPOC (Black,…

Food Sovereignty

Agriculture’s Lens for a Changing America

What does the Green New Deal Mean for Justice & Farming?

Community Teach-in at the Gayogo̱hó:no (Cayuga) School House

Seed-Saving: A Peaceful Resistance

Experience of Food Insecurity at Cornell University – FFJ July Discussion

FLX Land Reconciliation and Reparations Community Potluck Recap!

The 2017 Ag-Census, and You.

Visit to the Cayuga Nation Farm

Beyond the Seed Bank: April Farming for Justice ReCap

“Farming While Black” and Land Access and Reparations with Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm Recap