{"id":61621,"date":"2024-11-22T12:11:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T18:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcknight.org\/?p=61621"},"modified":"2024-11-26T11:23:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T17:23:53","slug":"growing-just-resilient-food-system-midwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcknight.org\/en_ca\/news-ideas\/growing-just-resilient-food-system-midwest\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing a Just and Resilient Food System in the Midwest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Category:<\/span>Impact Story<\/span>11<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Growing a Just and Resilient Food System in the Midwest<\/h1>\n

Roots of Resilience: Empowering BIPOC Farmers and Building Generational Wealth<\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t
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By Lauren Boritzke Smith<\/a><\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n
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“Farming has had such an impact, not just on myself, on the importance of work ethic, but also how this is truly a community connector. Food is a community connector.”<\/h2>\n

\u2013\u00a0<\/i>Janssen Hang, Hmong American Farmers Association<\/h5>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n
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In the lush summer months, the Hmong American Farmers Association<\/a> (HAFA) farm in rural Dakota County, Minnesota is a vibrant ecosystem. Bright green leaves dot fields, waving in the breeze to the deep emerald foliage of fruit trees. Gold, pink, orange, and red blossoms draw the eye. Farmers from 18 families work the land, while their children play \u201cKing of the Jungle\u201d on mulch piles and bike across the acreage.<\/p>\n

Janssen Hang, executive director and co-founder of HAFA, describes farming as more than a career\u2014it\u2019s a cultural touchstone, a way of life. Co-founded by Hang, HAFA was established to address the lack of resources available to Hmong farmers in the Twin Cities, many of whom have relied on farming for their livelihoods since resettling in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince being on the farm here, I\u2019ve learned so much about my culture again through agriculture\u2014my language, my elders, and how hard they work and how determined they are,\u201d says Dao Yang, farm manager at HAFA. \u201cBeing in this space changed the way I think about food and community. Food is medicine, you know? Food is life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Watch Video<\/h2>\n\t\t\t