OUR WHY:

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The current food system is built on exploited labor and land that leaves many hungry and malnourished despite excess and waste. For those of us called to the labor of growing, sharing, and preparing food for our communities, the barriers to enter agriculture are prohibitively high. From the cost of land and infrastructure to the cost of housing for our colleagues, We organize with farmers & communities within, against, and beyond a broken food system to build resilient local economies that can truly nourish us all.

 

We aim to remove barriers to entry for black, indigenous, person of color (BIPOC) and lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, and gender expansive (LGBTQ+) beginning farmers in ways that support the prosperity of our communities and the future of our planet. Together, we advance land-based liberation for our communities by training young land stewards, supporting beginning farmers with land access, growing nutrient dense and culturally relevant food and medicine, and distributing our harvests to families impacted by food scarcity or state violence.

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OUR FOCUS AREAS:

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• Create community healing spaces and a critical connection to nature

• Alleviate food insecurity by propagating community-based farm models

• Connect BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ farmers to land 

• Expand regional access to markets through shared infrastructure, coordinator aggregation & distribution

• Advocate for policy change and funding for BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ farmers

• Provide farmer training and ongoing technical support to BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ farmers

 

PARTNER IN A JUST FOOD FUTURE:

 

The WVFC is seeded by USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grants Investment in the Webatuck Valley Farm Collaborative ensures the future of QTBIPOC beginning and small farmers in New York State and their opportunity to thrive. At this powerful moment of growth, we seek aligned partners to join us in leveraging a historic investment from the USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program. 

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Your support will deepen our roots in the land, our communities, and the future we are building together. We invite you into conversation with us. We’d be honored to share more about our work and the role you can play in our vision.

WHO WE SERVE: BIPOC and LGBTQ+ farmers, beginning farmers, low-income and food insecure individuals and families (LGBTQ+ & BIPOC individuals, seniors, families with young children, immigrants, justice-impacted families, incarcerated individuals, and people living with serious health concerns), and our neighbors and food systems workers in Westchester, Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Green, Columbia, Rensselaer, Albany Counties and New York City (Bronx, New York, Kings, & Queens Counties), Berkshire County, MA, Litchfield County, CT.