Rural Roots

Farmer Citizen Food Policy Certificate 2021 FREE!

The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that young farmers have the creativity, passion, and knowledge to keep our communities fed amidst a global crisis. It’s this lived- and proven-experience that we can translate to powerful advocacy for the support that we need as young farmers: bold racial justice policy, access to affordable farmland, swift action to address climate change, accessible healthcare, and student loan debt relief.

Join us in a virtual BIPOC-majority space to learn how to translate your knowledge of the field into policy advocacy.

Organized by Arizona State University’s Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and the National Young Farmers Coalition, this 10-hour course will feature accomplished advocates such as former USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, Malik Yakini, and Debra Eschmeyer. You will discuss topics like structural racism in the farm and food system and think through questions such as ‘How do ideas develop and make their way into the policy debate?’ and ‘How did the issue of local food emerge from a niche issue to a national discussion?’ The format includes time for learning but also a space for exchange with peers.

Course Details

Dates: Over four Tuesdays – 1/12, 1/19, 1/26, and 2/2
Time: 12 PDT / 1 MDT / 2 CDT / 3pm EDT
Cost: free!
Register by December 4th at surveymonkey.

Curriculum Overview

Course 1: Understanding Structural Issues in the Farm and Food System
Course 2: Setting the Agenda
Course 3:  Knowing the Players
Course 4: Strategies to Achieve Food System Policy Transformation

Along with the virtual classroom time, you will select a break-out group of peers according to your specific interests and geography. These breakouts will be a space for you to discuss, with course leaders and other farmers, the course content and its practical applications.