In case you missed previous announcements, we sadly had to cancel our 2022 It Takes a Region conference. We will definitely miss our in-person gathering this Fall, but NESAWG will be reaching out to you in various ways as we dive deeper into our commitment to the region.

• We are committed to the Northeast region and to bringing about a farm and food systems change that will continue to be inspired by our ITAR 2022 conference theme: A Farm and Food Systems Change Rooted in Love.
• We are committed to honoring and upholding the sovereignty and inherent leadership of Tribal Nations aboriginal to Turtle Island.
• We are committed to lifting and centering voices of color. 
• We are committed to centering equity and justice as core values to inform our collective efforts.

To better understand how the absence of equity and justice plays out in the farm and food system today, and how we can recognize it, challenge it, and move toward a more just and equitable food system for ALL, NESAWG will be going through internal reflection, dialogue, critical analysis, and restructuring processes at an organizational level using the Freirean approach¹ of “To See, To Analyze, To Act” that was shared earlier this year.

We will also be reaching out to the larger NESAWG community to hold conversations at both local and regional levels. To start, our focus will be to launch the first phase of a long-term farm/food system transformation. This phase 1 will consist of a deep Landscape Assessment of the Northeast region acknowledging that this work will take place on unceded territory, and honoring the protocol of Tribal Nations aboriginal to this land. This Landscape Assessment will be conducted in the Four Directions:

1. Community Needs & Priorities 
2. Community Challenges & Barriers 
3. Skills Assessment
4. Resource Assessment

We see this as a slow, steady deliberate process, in which we will be both challenged and inspired, and we look forward to engaging in it with you.

To See. To Analyze. To Act.
The Freirean Approach

NESAWG found the need to frame our Network Conversation – and subsequent conversations on regional food systems change – using a Freirean approach to introduce the lens of a critical analysis and the development of a collective critical consciousness.  We strive for a liberated  consciousness that can self-reflect and generate action towards systems change on a consistent basis making this a praxis of Reflection-Action. The Freirean approach and the framing for developing this praxis can be summarized as follows: 

During this first phase of the work, NESAWG will be focusing on “SEEING”: naming, identifying, seeing the system with its manifestations, impact, and root causes; but also lifting and shining a bright light on the resilience and transformational work that our BIPOC communities have been tirelessly doing for centuries. 

This “Seeing” will be elicited through brainstorming sessions, open-ended questions, dialogue, and story-telling among other things.  We fully recognize the danger of a single story that has plagued the food system since colonization. 

(1) Resources on Freirean approach: 

Links

Books

• Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Penguin 
• Freire, P. (1973) Education for Critical Consciousness. Seabury Press