eNEWS
June 2009 > Social justice project aims to improve the quality of life of farmers and farm workers
FOG was recently awarded a three-year research and education grant by the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SSARE) for a project that aims to promote and improve the quality of life of farmers and farmworkers. The project will provide organic farms with technical assistance and subsidize the cost of certification under Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) standards. AJP launched a successful
pilot of certification products in the Upper
Midwest in 2007. This project brings the
AJP fair food system to the South.
The idea behind AJP is to promote a sustainable food system that addresses
social and economic equity and protects
environmental resources. FOG and its
project collaborators will provide training
and tools to facilitate adoption of AJP
standards on participating farms in the
South and assist in establishing contacts
with like-minded retailers to put certified
products on the shelves.
One of the project's main
objectives is to assess the
impact that this fair food system has on the
lives of farmers and farm workers. Another
objective is to research public knowledge
of and support for social, economic
and environmental sustainability in
agriculture and
explore consumer interest in purchasing AJP-certified products. This information on
public interest and knowledge will be
used to develop and implement a public
outreach and education model to raise
public awareness of quality of life issues in
agriculture and the food system.
FOG’s collaborators on this project include
the Rural Advancement Foundation
International-USA, Farm Worker
Health and Safety Institute, Farm Workers
Association of Florida, The Farmworker Support Committee, Northeast
Organic Farming Association, Quality
Certification Services and Suwannee River
Area Health Education Center.
For more information or to volunteer to participate in the program contact Florida Organic Growers at 352.377.6345 or email fog@foginfo.org.
RESOURCES
Agricultural Justice Project
Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA
Farm Worker Health and Safety Institute (CATA)
Farm Workers Association of Florida
Northeast Organic Farming Association
Quality Certification Services
Suwannee River Area Health Education Center