The consensus is that times have changed in recent years, but our values haven’t. We believe in a world where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Our nation was founded on that principle, and we’ve worked hard to make it a reality as we build a society that values everyone equally. As an agricultural nonprofit organization, we work everyday to make sure those fundamental principles hold true for thousands of family farmers. But we know first hand that our work is far from over.
Yearly Archives: 2016
62 posts
The USDA has released long-awaited trio of new rules designed to protect poultry farmers from abuses commonly seen in their contracts with big corporations. Read our take on the new rules here.
Over the past 18 months we have seen an election that has divided our nation and our communities. The recent media coverage, or exit polls, or a thousand other instances could bring us to despair of the current challenges facing our country. We encourage everyone to continue to reflect on these realities, but we also want to turn our attention to the future.
Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) seeks a talented individual to significantly increase the ability of rural North Carolina farmers’ markets and other direct market farm outlets to serve low-wealth communities, and to evaluate the potential and limitations of SNAP/WIC at farmers’ markets as a market-based food access solution. The Program Coordinator will work under the supervision of the project manager of Beyond Hunger Relief, a broader initiative to identify and develop market-based solutions to food access in rural areas.
On December 14th, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced new Farmer Fair Practice Rules to protect contract farmers from some of the abusive terms commonly found in contracts with large poultry companies. We’ve been featured in several major news reports on the new rules recently, which you’ll find listed here.
This case study highlights an example of how a direct mailing campaign can be an effective strategy to promote a market’s SNAP/EBT program.
This case study highlights the challenges faced by rural markets in recruiting and retaining vendors and in attracting customers.
This case study highlights an example of a market successfully using a variety of funding strategies to support its market and programs.
This case study reviews issues and experiences involved with farmers’ market manager turnover and captures lessons learned
at four farmers’ markets in North Carolina. The findings presented here are based on existing research, our surveys of past and
current managers, and informal conversations with market stakeholders.