Womens Environmental Institute At Amador Hill

Programs: Wei's 2016 urban program continued participation in the 24th st. Urban farm coalition as fiscal agent and employer for 24th st. Urban farm (mashkiikii gitigan) staff as part of the phillips community healthy living project--a collaboration with five phillips neighborhood-based organizations and another rural-based native american-identified organization. The mission of mashkiikii gitigan (ojibwe for "medicine garden") is to create and nurture the culture and practice of local food production, healthy eating, healthy living and related activities along the 24th street wellness corridor and throughout phillips community--based on indigenous native american values and practices. In 2016 mashkiikii continued farming its two sites (mashkiikii and good juju), with the leadership of our experienced staff (indigenous lead-farmer, administrative coordinator, indigenous farm assistant, and three native american interns) plus adding a pre-apprenticeship farmer position option. The 2016 4-h youth program continued in collaboration with waite house. Mashkiikii continued as a consistent vender at four sisters farmers market, its own unique "karma market", and initiated produce sales to three native-identified local chefs. Mashkiikii also offered weekly classes/workshops free to the community, continued a bioremediation project in collaboration with the minneapolis health department, and further developed its seed-keeping library for the neighborhood as a member of upper midwest indigenous seed keepers network. Wei continued its active membership in the coalition of 21 organizations making up the mn environmental fund's work-place giving campaign as well as the healthy legacy steering committee which addresses public policy toxics reform. Wei's east metro environmental justice education and advocacy collaborative is completing our research project with u of m medical school's center for health disparities. Wei is also collaborating with several organizations to help promote the east phillips indoor urban farm project -- proposed for environmental justice development in the roof depot warehouse, an urban venue where wei would contribute our farming expertise and education, including aquaponics.

wei's 2016 farm program maintained its farm mission this year by providing over 2000 bushels of organically certified produce distributed to 60 csa shareholders and to farmer's markets and coops, and food shelves. Many participants benefited from wei's organically certified farm campus which provides informal visitor education for volunteers, work-share participants, farm interns, local farm crew, farm tour visitors, student groups, school, church and other groups visiting the wei farm campus. Wei was also instrumental in creating a pilot year for a new regional food system, north circle hut, providing a group of local farmers committed to organic and sustainable farmer (over three counties) with new venues for selling their produce. A new on-line ordering system for the north circle food hub was created in 2015 with moderate success. Further grant funding was applied for. The farm campus and wei's community eco-retreat center were open to the public during regular workday hours and available for community projects and groups allied with our mission. In 2016 wei held annual community events at the wei's amador hill farm campus open to the general public, free of charge, events which brought in local residents as well as people from surrounding counties and the twin cities area. One of these events, co-hosted by wei, was the danza de la luna ayotlmeztli, attended by approximately hundred participants over a four-day gathering. Wei is gaining recognition as a demonstration and teaching farm for organically certified growing practices and four-season aquaponics mushroom, fish and greens production.

wei's 2016 educational program continued to develop its educational program throughout the year which centered on our annual growing power farmer-training weekend and various other classes and workshops. Scholarship funding for low-income participants in wei workshops, classes and trainings was successfully achieved with a large amount of scholarship funding raised for wei's sixth annual growing power training weekend which provided hands-on training for urban and rural farmers. This event was attended by more than a hundred people for two days of workshops and practical farmer training. A special initiative was launched in 2016 to organize our courses and workshops into a more aggregated set of courses with potential for certificate programs and community education credits. This project was mostly in the planning stages in 2016. Wei also provided structured internship educational training for six farm interns and many on-site educational experiences for volunteers and school groups visiting the farm.