Food Justice & Sovereignty Program
HAFN Growing season 2024
has started!
looking forward for our communities to join!
Here is the link to sing up for Stewarding days at the gardens.
Food Justice and Sovereignty Garden Stewarding Program 2024
HAFN is creating safe spaces to BIPOC communities for us to reclaim and rematriate through culture and food celebration; therefore, the stipend program could be only applies to BIPOC + identified communities.
Join our Garden Stewarding Program!
at Growing Gardens,
1630 Hawthorn Ave, Boulder, CO 80304.
We offer Stewarding days on:
Thursdays: from 3:30-7:30pm,
Fridays: Allies and Organizations welcome!
Saturdays: from 9am-2pm.
*Plot garden numbers 322, 222 (right next to each other), 221 (North of 222) and 419
This is your chance to reconnect with the land and learn about traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), permaculture, biodynamics, and other regenerative practices.
Dive into the world of sustainable agriculture as you discover how to grow food and contribute to our community's thriving garden ecosystem.
DIEGO M GARDEN MENTOR
Meet Diego, our garden mentor, a proud Mexihca Tenochca from Mexico City. Raised in a family deeply rooted in agricultural tradition, Diego learned the art of cultivation from his maternal grandfather, tending to the sacred trio of corn, squash, and beans. Guided by ancestral wisdom, he nurtures the land from seed to harvest, cherishing the bond between earth and family. Alongside his grandmother and mother, Diego honed his skills in traditional cooking, incorporating wild herbs and plants. With a rich heritage in native cuisine, fishing, music, and art, Diego's connection to the land runs deep, shaping his profound reverence for nature's bounty.
This year we have a revamping educational program in collaboration with other community members.
FJS Workshop series
Sowing the Seeds of Change
Is a transformative workshop series bridging ecological and social justice, cultivating equitable community spaces while cultivating biodiverse gardens
May 30
Topic: Biodiversity
Instructor: Nelson Heider-Khun
Dive into the captivating world of biodiversity in our upcoming workshop, where we will explore the profound implications of ecological diversity and its relation to landscape function. This class will explain the interconnectedness of all living beings and the critical role that each species plays in maintaining the health and function of ecosystems from the soil up. We aim to help you gain a deeper understanding of how biodiversity shapes our world and why it is essential for the health and sustainability of our planet.
June 27
Topic: 3 Sisters Garden
Instructor: Diego M
July 25
Topic: Native Pollinators
Instructor: Andrea Montoya – and translator
Andrea is passionate about our amazing little relatives, the Pollinators. They support all of life, yet they are struggling to live because we have destroyed all the places they need to survive and thrive. Andrea has dedicated herself to gaining and sharing knowledge about rebuilding what once was here, so that they may once again return to the land and thrive. In this class, you will learn about what the most important things are that you can do, right in your own space, to support these important and beautiful creatures. You will receive a thorough list of flowers and plants that you can grow to support pollinators. In turn, the pollinators will reward your garden with beauty, bigger vegetables and more flowers.
August 29
Topic: Growing food and medicine
Instructor: María Cristina
Cooking dinner from scratch is always a treat, but did you know that home cooked meals can also be good medicine? Our ancestors did. Come learn about the magic of cooking, and the medicinal usage of the common foods and herbs that we have growing in the Harvest of all First Nations Garden.
October 10
Topic: Soil health
Instructor: Mayra Ponce
Soil Smart: Strategies for Sustainable Soil Health" offers hands-on learning in permaculture soil care. Participants explore principles and practical techniques for sustainable agriculture, from composting to cover cropping. Whether a gardener, farmer, or environmental enthusiast, join us to unlock the secrets of soil health and advocate for change.
Our FJS Program will be focused on Food Justice and Sovereignty in Urban Garden & Farm settings locally. As all of our programs and projects are initiated by the needs and request of community members, we are working with local collaborators, educators, Indigenous leaders, and land stewards to bring land access and participatory education opportunities for underserved families, individuals, and BIPOC+ to co-create actionable equity and trust building.
As in our previous year’s project at the Indigenous Foods Garden, we are committed to grow healthy food and distribute it for free to elders and community members alike. We are hosting garden stipends to compensate participants who would like to learn how to grow food, to have the resources to attend and cover transportation. This program is a radical vision to make learning how to grow healthy food accessible to those who could not otherwise afford the time to do so.
Reparations we focus on are restoring traditional ecological knowledge to low income & BIPOC+ community members, empowerment, emotional wellness through connection, land access for displaced peoples, and a mission to build trust with our youth in a healthy environment while building knowledge and confidence through experience. We love that this program is Indigenous- led because representation matters, and seeing POC in leadership while consulting First Nations People about land use and relations repairs the systems of colonization and oppression by directly reversing it.
Grateful to our collaborators that are making it happen!
Growing Gardens, Suelo Bueno, El Centro Amistad, CU Environmental Justice Center, Tribe Recovery Center, Boulder Food Rescue
Come join us in our gardens and reconnect with the Earth, learn to grow vegetables and flowers, harvest and cook with us! Families, teens, adults, and elders are all welcome!
Our gardens are safe spaces for Black, Indigenous people and descendants of indigenous communities, and all communities of color seeking to reconnect or maintain their connection with the Earth.
Our gardens are spaces for learning to grow, take care of, and harvest vegetables and flowers without using pesticides. Our gardens are spaces for cultural exchange for reclaiming and exchanging ancestral knowledge and genetic memory of growing, harvesting, and cooking ancestral foods and medicines native to the lands now known as North America.
Meet our fjs program weaver
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Daniela Escudero
FJS Program Weaver
Daniela María, who is originally from Quito, Ecuador, now lives on a serene homestead in rural Longmont. In her search for healing of mind, body, and soul, she found her calling and true life’s purpose in permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and biodynamic practices. With hands-on experience in farming and animal husbandry, Daniela is a passionate educator and has been teaching permaculture and biodynamics since 2019. Her commitment to the land and community is evident in her work introducing biodynamic practices at farms, homesteads and back yards and collaborating on innovative projects around the Front Range. Reverent Roots has been a passion project for Daniela which was borne from her dedication to inspiring others to reconnect with the land. With a love for writing, hiking, and herbalism, Daniela's holistic approach to life reflects her core message: "It's our responsibility to learn and empower ourselves to reconnect with the land and reclaim our sovereignty in growing food and living good lives."
If you have any questions or concerns about the Food Justice & Sovereignty Program, feel free to reach out to us at fjs@hafnco.org. We're here to help and are eager to hear from you!
Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, and to our photographers, Rhianna Truex and Sophia Piña-McMahon, for capturing these images!
We’d love for you to join us on future gardening days.
