Forging Pathways to Land Access for BIPOC Farmers in Georgia

A variety of telehealth counseling options throughout several Midwestern states are helping connect farmers with mental health clinicians. One option is online training, specifically targeted towards engaged couples and newlyweds, that teaches best practices for farming basics and managing communication and stress – already 1,500 people have enrolled in the course.

Novia Scotia, Canada, created community economic development investment funds with a 35% tax credit to investors to help small businesses that need capital but don’t qualify for bank loans. The cooperative FarmWorks brings together investors and farmers using this funding method to provide loans that will directly support the local food network.

Article 26 Backpack is an online storage platform refugees can upload academic transcripts, diplomas, and other important documents to. The platform safeguards the copies in case the originals cannot be kept and allows users to share them with universities and employers.

Dig Deep Farms provides sustainable jobs for people coming out of jail, who have a difficult time finding work. The farm employs about 15 people who grow food for county health initiatives, runs a job-training program for formerly incarcerated people, and operates a food hub to distribute fresh produce to people in need and recently increased its acreage to provide even more opportunities and resources.

Online volunteer assistance efforts in New York have played a crucial role in the dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine, while city and state appointment systems have caused confusion or created barriers for many. Although these efforts can't address all barriers, such as lack of computer access or literacy, they have been used by thousands of people each day to find available appointment times.

Indigenous seed banks preserve and reintroduce native agricultural varieties, which in some cases are more nutritious than other varieties. Qachuu Aloom runs a one-room seed bank that provides raw materials for its 500 active members, 80% of whom are women, to practice agroecological farming. The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank preserves more than 100 different kinds of seeds, distributing over 10,000 packets to growers in 2019. Several international organizations are working with seed banks to drive more resilient and diversified food production with native varieties as a way to address food insecurity.

PNC Fairfax Connection is a community center run by PNC Bank but separate from its corporate services. The center is free and accessible to all, was built with community-focused design, and seeks to build strong community ties. Programming is based on member input and ranges from social events to professional development resources. For example, over 400 residents attended a concert hosted by the center and another program helped six formerly incarcerated community members to secure employment with resume creation and interview preparation support. The center is currently closed due to Covid-19.

In an attempt to offer healthier meals and reduce stigma around hospital food, hospitals are reinventing their dining services by hiring professional chefs, nutritionists, and dieticians. At the UC Davis Medical Center, this type of approach has already shown success with a growth in consumers, including an influx of locals from the community even coming to eat at the hospital cafe.

Overcoming the causes of social isolation plays a crucial role in combating food insecurity. From faith-based community meals paired with job programs in Branson, to food recycling initiatives that tap into local markets in Kansas, multiple organizations across Missouri and the United States are developing solutions oriented toward local needs. In some cases, such as the work of Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard in Bloomington, IN, building community leads to political advocacy and civic engagement.

Low-income people often miss out on court dates because they cannot afford to miss work or leave their children. Michigan and Ohio courts have incorporated the Matterhorn “online adjudication system” to handle simple cases so individuals can participate through the Internet. The system also offers the advantage of having “less bias” than in-person trials, because the race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status of the individual is protected online.