Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) is sponsoring a special track on “Co-operatives in the Food System” at the 40th annual NOFA Summer Conference, August 8-10, 2014, at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.
The workshops, which will all take place Saturday, August 9, 2014 in Campus Center 805-09, address a variety of ways in which co-operative enterprises are improving the food system domestically and internationally, practical steps for farmers interested in marketing to food co-ops, and strategies for applying this unique economic model to growing more economically and environmentally sustainable food systems:
- 8 am: How Co-ops Make Healthy, Local Food More Accessible with Bonnie Hudspeth (Neighboring Food Co-op Association) & Micha Josephy (Cooperative Fund of New England)
- 10 am: Selling to Your Local Food Co-op with Tony White (Co-op Food Stores of NH and VT) and Erbin Crowell (NFCA)
- 1 pm: Co-ops in the Food System: Conversions, Start-ups and Supply Chains with Erbin Crowell (NFCA) and Adam Trott (Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops)
- 3 pm: How Co-ops Spur Organic Farming in Global South with Rodney North (Equal Exchange)
Following this group of workshops, there will be a special 4:30pm screening of the film “Food for Change,” a feature-length documentary focusing on food co-ops as a force for dynamic social and economic change in American culture.
The NOFA Summer Conference features over 150 workshops on farming, gardening, land care, nutrition, & food politics; full and half day pre-conferences; and 100+ exhibitors. This is a family-friendly event with activities for children and teens, country fair, and organic meals. Budget conscious accommodations are available, including camping and dorms. This year’s keynote speaker Elaine Ingham is a soil scientist and researcher, teaching growers to foster microbial life in soils.
Register here: www.nofasummerconference.org.