• Food Systems Slide Show – Northland Food and Farming: Healthy for the Environment, Economy, and People.
  
  The Northeast MN Sustainable Development Partnership, Northland Food and Farming Initiative would like to announce the availability of a slide show presentation about a locally based food system called, Northland Food and Farming: Healthy for the Environment, Economy, and People.
  
  The slide show, which consists of up to 40 ppt slides, reviews the history of farming in northeastern MN, the development of our current food system, its hidden costs, and efforts to recreate a more sustainable, local and community-orientated food system. The presentation takes from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on audience discussion. It is a useful tool for any one or group concerned about food system issues, and can help create awareness about the current system and ensure that all sectors of the community work together to strengthen local food.
  
  We would be happy to present Northland Food and Farming: Healthy for the Environment, Economy, and People to your group or any audience you think might be interested. Additionally, you can view and present the slide show yourself on condition that you contact us with information about the audience you are presenting to. 
  
  Click here to open slide show (May take a few minutes to load)
  
  Contact: 
  Cree Holtz, 
  218-525-4781 or holtz@isfusa.org 

  Dr. Okey Ukaga
  218-726-7368 or ukaga001@umn.edu for more information.
   

• The Sustainable Food Systems Curriculum
  
  The Sustainable Food Systems Curriculum was written by David Abazs, Dave Graf, Kurt Mead, and Allison Wood for NFFI. It’s mission is to increase basic food literacy and to “build awareness of sustainable food and farming issues by providing hands-on, passionate, farmer to student curriculum”. The ten class kit was written for farmers and gardeners to take into their local schools and teach, providing students with teachers who can share their life experiences and bring a personal touch to a curriculum.
  
  So far, the curriculum has been in use for four years and has reached 52 classes (1456 fifth graders) at 14 different schools taught by 19 farmers. The curriculum challenges students to explore the history of food, become corn plants, manage imaginary farms, squawk like chickens, and visit real farms. To help retain food money that is circulating outside of the farmer’s fields, Shalom Seeds Sanctuary, a non-profit organization, pays farmers $500 for each group of students that he or she teaches the curriculum to.
  
  
  To view the curriculum, visit the Shalom Seeds Sanctuary website: 
  www.round-river.com/sss.html 
  
  To inquire about or order a full curriculum, contact: 
  David and Lise Abazs, 218-353-7736 or abazs@lakenet.com.
   
• Strengthening the Local Food System: Strategies for Faith-Based Communities
  
  In response to the serious implications that have occurred through the changes in agricultural practices during the 20th century, including poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation, many faith-based communities and other interest groups have started to explore ways to support a more localized food system. To help facilitate such efforts, Trina Barno and Molly Zender have developed a guidebook or ‘kit’ for NFFI that can be used in faith-based communities and similar entities to support and make locally produced food more accessible to all.
  
  Many faith-based communities find that they are in a unique and advantageous position to support a more localized food system, including: 
   
  • Owning land that can be utilized for agricultural purposes, 
  • Having celebrations and rituals that often involve food resources, 
  • Providing opportunities for education and discussion about the nature of food, 
  • Helping the hungry, 
  • Serving as protectors to preserve the earth’s bounty as a gift, 
  • Having investment sources which could be used to support a strong local food system,
  • Serving as a natural connection point for many people within the food community,
  • Utilizing local and global connections that are capable of advocating for social and political change.

  The Food Kit guidebook includes strategies for container gardening, the use of community property for production, community kitchens, celebrations, supporting local food through other means (CSA’s), strengthening local food through advocacy, and links to additional resources on the web. 
  
  View and/or print The Food Kit: (Please let us know via email or phone if you are using this guidebook)
  
  For more information or to receive a hard copy, please contact: 
  
  Cree Holtz
  218-525-4781 or holtz@isfusa.org
  
  Dr. Okey Ukaga
  218-726-7368 or ukaga001@umn.edu.

For more information about NFFI, please visit www.nffi.net.