Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience: Our community of local small farmers faces significant challenges, including a lack of essential farm equipment and tools, limited avenues to consistently sell their produce, a shortage of culturally significant seed varieties, and insufficient people power for both volunteer and paid labor. Despite these obstacles, we have continued to support the agricultural community by purchasing produce from three farmers and extending our assistance to over 10 community projects. In 2024 alone, we purchased more than 1,300 pounds of harvest, helping to bolster the local food system. Consumers, community groups, students, and others across the island and beyond who seek opportunities to purchase local, healthy foods, and to learn about farming practices, cultural foods and seeds, sustainability, and climate resilience strategies. The local community of San Salvador who benefit from active engagement in a more localized food system, increased access to more nutritious foods, opportunities for equitable employment, and programming such as culturally-based cooking classes, community meals, and events. Our small community of approximately 1,801 residents in San Salvador is predominantly made up of people over the age of 40, as reported by the American Community Survey of 2022. We have actively engaged and employed community members through various initiatives, including our "Almuerzos para el Barrio" kitchen program, which has distributed over 3,000 meals, feeding the community with harvests from their own land. We've established purchasing agreements with local farmers to further support this holistic approach. Additionally, we hosted three Open House events at our food hub, offering wellness resources such as acupuncture, reflexology, nutritious lunches, and tours of our space and services, each attracting around 50 visitors under the theme of "CARE." Our engagement extends to educational efforts like cooking classes, including topics like "buenezas" and "musa adentro." We've also hired two community members for our kitchen and nursery programs and commissioned paid labor from community members to complete infrastructure improvements, including a new front and back roof, a cement wall, and a protective cage. Changes/Problems:During the grant period, we encountered several significant challenges that necessitated adjustments to our operations and led to the need for a no-cost extension. One of the primary changes was the shift in our internal operations due to the receipt of additional Mellon funds, which supported the same project goals but required realignment of our resources and strategies. This shift included the expansion of our team to the largest it has ever been, incorporating new members across various roles such as administration, field work, graphic design, and technical committee functions. Managing and integrating such a large and diverse team posed unique challenges, particularly in aligning our principles and ethics given the intergenerational, interracial, and intergender diversity among team members. The expansion of our team, while beneficial in many ways, also introduced complexities in ensuring that all members could work cohesively and effectively. Defining a unified set of principles and ethical standards for our diverse team was essential to maintaining a consistent approach to our project goals. We had to navigate the intricacies of different identities and perspectives to foster a collaborative environment where everyone could contribute meaningfully. This process of team-building and alignment required additional time and resources, impacting our initial project timelines. The necessity for a no-cost extension, which was granted and welcomed, reflected our commitment to addressing these challenges and ensuring the success of our project. This extension is not merely an adjustment but an opportunity to enhance the project's outcomes. The first two years focused on rooting our initiatives within the rural community, defining the team's roles, and completing critical build-outs such as the kitchen and farmer surveying. Year three saw a significant increase in programming and further farmer surveying, which highlighted the need for additional time to fully realize these efforts. Looking ahead, year four is designated as a reflection and dissemination year. This period will allow us to assess our progress, consolidate our findings, and share the results with our broader community. The extension provides us with the time necessary to thoroughly evaluate our accomplishments, address any lingering issues, and effectively disseminate our results, ensuring that the impact of our work is maximized and sustained. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided numerous opportunities for training and professional development, fostering a well-rounded and holistic approach to growth for the team. One of the key initiatives was the "Semana de Integración," where fieldwork was combined with administrative tasks, allowing team members to gain experience in every aspect of operations. This week-long program ensured that the entire team was involved in every step, creating a cohesive understanding of the project's goals and challenges. It also included spaces for healing and reparative conversations, addressing any issues or damages that arose, and ensuring a supportive and collaborative work environment. Additionally, visiting collaborators were integrated into this process, offering new perspectives and insights. Beyond hands-on experiences, the project has also facilitated specific training sessions and virtual workshops to enhance the team's skills. For instance, team members received training on using till equipment from experienced farmers, ensuring they could operate essential farm tools effectively. Virtual workshops covered a wide variety of topics, such as transformative justice, regenerative agriculture, and decolonizing photography, providing the team with a broad spectrum of knowledge and tools to support their work in the community. These opportunities have not only equipped the team with practical skills but also empowered them to approach their work with a deeper understanding of social and environmental justice. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Throughout the current grant period, we have actively engaged in disseminating the results and outcomes of our initiatives to various communities of interest. Our approach has been multi-faceted, leveraging a range of tools and platforms to ensure that the information reaches and resonates with our target audiences. We developed educational materials, including zines on permaculture courses and natural fertilizers, which were designed to provide practical knowledge and support to community members. Additionally, we created booklets containing post-workshop information and instructions, which help reinforce learning and facilitate the application of new skills. An Impact Report was compiled to summarize the achievements and outcomes of our programs, offering a comprehensive overview of our successes and areas of growth. This report has been made available to stakeholders and community members, providing transparency and accountability. To enhance the visual and interactive aspects of our dissemination efforts, we hired a graphic team to produce engaging materials and supplies for publishing. This includes content for our YouTube channel, where we have posted videos that illustrate our work and share insights. These videos are accompanied by translated and transcribed versions to ensure accessibility for diverse audiences. In addition to digital content, we have implemented a Language Justice initiative, which includes the use of audio equipment for live bilingual translation and the provision of professional interpreters during workshops. This approach ensures that language barriers do not impede the dissemination of our results and educational resources. Looking ahead to the next grant year, we are committed to prioritizing the dissemination component. We are working closely with experts from the CFP department to effectively map and share our data. This collaboration aims to enhance our outreach and impact by utilizing refined strategies and tools to engage our communities more effectively. Throughout the current grant period, we have actively engaged in disseminating the results and outcomes of our initiatives to various communities of interest. Our approach has been multi-faceted, leveraging a range of tools and platforms to ensure that the information reaches and resonates with our target audiences. We developed educational materials, including zines on permaculture courses and natural fertilizers, which were designed to provide practical knowledge and support to community members. Additionally, we created booklets containing post-workshop information and instructions, which help reinforce learning and facilitate the application of new skills. An Impact Report was compiled to summarize the achievements and outcomes of our programs, offering a comprehensive overview of our successes and areas of growth. This report has been made available to stakeholders and community members, providing transparency and accountability. To enhance the visual and interactive aspects of our dissemination efforts, we hired a graphic team to produce engaging materials and supplies for publishing. This includes content for our YouTube channel, where we have posted videos that illustrate our work and share insights. These videos are accompanied by translated and transcribed versions to ensure accessibility for diverse audiences. In addition to digital content, we have implemented a Language Justice initiative, which includes the use of audio equipment for live bilingual translation and the provision of professional interpreters during workshops. This approach ensures that language barriers do not impede the dissemination of our results and educational resources. Looking ahead to the next grant year, we are committed to prioritizing the dissemination component. We are working closely with experts from the CFP department to effectively map and share our data. This collaboration aims to enhance our outreach and impact by utilizing refined strategies and tools to engage our communities more effectively. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To accomplish our outstanding grant goals, we will continue to leverage our existing partnerships and resources, ensuring each initiative is executed effectively. We will facilitate continued healthy farm-to-table cooking lessons led by experienced instructors to deliver engaging and informative sessions. This collaborative approach will not only enhance the quality of the lessons but also provide valuable hands-on experience for participants. Concurrently, we will develop a comprehensive recipe book that consolidates our best vegan recipes and culinary techniques, serving as a practical resource for our community. In addition to expanding our private label products to additional vendor points, we will re-open our online sales platform with a phased rollout to address any technical issues and optimize user experience. This move will help broaden our market reach and enhance brand visibility. To complement these efforts, we will actively market our products on social media and consistently share updates through our newsletter, keeping our audience informed and engaged. We plan to create and disseminate educational materials for a scalable Food Hub model, providing a blueprint for others to replicate our success. This initiative will include publishing insights from our farmer survey to guide future initiatives and demonstrate the impact of our work. To further support our community, we will introduce a dedicated support program tailored specifically to the LGBTQIA+ community, promoting inclusivity and fostering a supportive environment. Additionally, to enhance public engagement and accessibility, we will hire two dedicated hosts for the Food Hub who will provide valuable information, facilitate interactions, and create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors. We will also proudly host the first-ever LEF solar training in Puerto Rico, offering a comprehensive workshop on renewable energy and climate resiliency. This training will equip participants with essential skills and knowledge for advancing sustainable practices. By systematically addressing these goals and leveraging our community and resources, we aim to create a robust framework that enhances our program's impact and reach, continuing to do so after the CFP project closes. Details of our remaining timeline for a no-cost extension of 12 months are included in the Projected Timeline for Completion document shared with this summary.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
El Departamento de la Comida is a grassroots organization building skills, relationships, and economies for a food-sovereign Puerto Rico in face of present and future climate disasters, guaranteeing communities are prepared through mutual aid, community meals, and resource sharing and distribution. Our efforts this project year, Sept. 2023 - Now, have resulted in the growth of our team - a graphic designer, archivist, communications specialist, plant-nursery manager, as well as additional kitchen staff, directly from our community. Through this growth we have achieved the creation of physical and digital educational material from our events and workshops, proper organization and archiving of our efforts throughout the years (with the intent of creating guidelines and publishable material for a replicable food hub system), and begun streamlining our communication efforts within our community, both physically and digitally. We have successfully increased our weekly "Comidas pal Barrio" meals, with a total of 3,000 served meals this year, supported by the growth of our kitchen team. This inherently reflects an increase in support to our local small farmers and markets by purchasing more fresh produce directly from them. We hosted 14 events and workshops, including support in the DC solar installation of a collaborating organization, many of which were supported by language justice, as well as properly documented for the creation of educational materials. We successfully redacted our SOP's, we have a newly formed board of directors, and we expanded our Agroteca with the purchase of a computer and printer. Finally, we installed a new DC solar system as well as upgraded our existing one, resulting in more effective functioning of the solar equipment, as well as currently counting with solar illumination in the entirety of our physical space. ____________________________________________________________________ Over the past grant period, our non-profit has made significant strides in various areas, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing our mission and maximizing the impact of the funding provided. We have effectively utilized our Food Hub space not only as a processing center but also as an office space, enhancing operational efficiency and community engagement. This dual use has allowed us to streamline our processes and improve our overall service delivery. Our efforts to increase community involvement have been notably successful. We organized three Open House events at our Food Hub, each featuring wellness resources such as acupuncture, reflexology, nutritious lunches, and informative tours of our facilities and services. These events, aligned with our "CARE" theme, attracted approximately 50 visitors each, providing valuable exposure to our initiatives and fostering a stronger connection with the community. In terms of agricultural support, we have continued to receive crops from local farmers, and we have successfully increased the volume of produce purchased, processed, and distributed. This boost in local sourcing has enhanced our ability to support regional agriculture and ensure a steady supply of fresh produce for our programs. Additionally, we have made strides in several other areas. Our communications team has expanded, and we have invested in infrastructure improvements. We have developed educational materials and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enhance our organizational effectiveness. The board of directors has undergone successful transitions, with new active members confirmed, and we are on track to finalize the addition of a third member by the first quarter of Year 4. We have also installed LEF solar DC equipment for our collaborators and forged valuable partnerships with organizations such as Museo de la Higuera, iSomos, Comedores Sociales, and others. Lastly, our commitment to sustainability has been reinforced through rainwater collection initiatives and the strengthening of our solar panel systems.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Local small farmers who lack needed farm equipment and tools, consistent avenues to sell their produce, cultural seed varieties, and people power for volunteer and paid labor. 41 small agricultural projects and 5 elderly farmers received direct support through our Abono and Ceiba programs. We provided access to manual and mechanical agricultural tools from our Agroteca tool library, local seeds, materials support for infrastructure, and meals for volunteers participating in brigades. Through our Ceiba elder farmer program we established purchasing agreements with five local farmers, three from our local community of San Salvador, Caguas, one from Arroyo, one from the urban center of Caguas. We established weekly purchases from at least three community farmers for our Food Hub's Kitchen Program. We hosted several community seed exchange events. We coordinated a series of meetups with farmers to collect information post Hurricane Fiona, supporting 30 farmers to apply to disaster relief, and granting them funds from our Abono program. We collected needs through a survey. We participated in a series of organizations stakeholder meetings for the agricultural sector regarding post-Fiona recuperation efforts. We supported the application and participation of one of our Kitchen team members in the Agroecology Course "El Josco Bravo". Our Kitchen Program installed two "off grid" DC solar refrigeration units, two DC solar insulated cookers, and a DC solar "Kit" for community charging of electronics when electricity fails. Our Kitchen program installed a biodigester system for food scraps to be turned into biogas and compost. We acquired a cargo van for better transportation of machines, tools, and produce for brigades and markets. New and existing food entrepreneurs who currently lack access to distribution channels, brand recognition, and marketing activities needed to increase sales. Neighbors from San Salvador, Caguas have visited during workshops, training, weekly "Comidas Pal Barrio" days, Open Houses, and seed exchanges. Most visitors of our less than 2,500 residents in San Salvador are farmers of 50+years of age according to the American Community Survey of 2021. We have continued our collaboration with Glendy's Farms, a neighboring produce store. We have agreements regarding marketing and decreasing their food waste while increasing sales. A neighboring farm now uses their space as a drop-off for their weekly CSA boxes. We have been receiving crops that don't sell and converting them into shelf-stable products. We have participated in various farmers markets and events with collaborating groups in 3 municipalities. Our presence at these events supports the increase of marketing, participation, and consistency. We have been able to provide diversified options, as well as supporting the sales of products from local farmers and authors. Consumers, community groups, students, and others across the island and beyond who seek opportunities to purchase local, healthy foods, and to learn about farming practices, cultural foods and seeds, sustainability, and climate resilience strategies. Our participation at Huerto Feliz's monthly community market in Caguas attends to mostly young, afro-caribbean LGBTTQI+ population. Visitors are residents of the downtown area of this municipality, where a mix of young families and single households populate, with a median income of approximately $16,904 per capita as of the 2021 U.S. census. We hosted three Open House events at our space. At each event we provided free acupuncture clinics, reflexology, exchanged seeds from our library, shared opportunities and resources, prepared and distributed free meals, met with neighbors, and residents from our community. This year we participated in two "Feria Calle", a collaborative event, where we hosted a table with free plants and seeds, sold products and prepared foods, and sponsored a printmaking station where our designs of agricultural messages were reproduced for free. We co-coordinated our second "DC Solar Power Training" with Living Energy Farm in Louisa County Virginia for solar resilient training in fabrication and installation of DC microgrids, kitchen appliances and repair. 12 applicants were chosen to participate in a group trip to stay and train at the farm for 10 days. Each participant has committed to 30 hours of post-training practice at future brigades coordinated by our team at different collaborating farms in our network. Proyecto Ceiba has financially supported 5 stipends for 4 farmers and 1 artisan to accompany elderly food projects. This has provided an opportunity to secure work within the field of agriculture where there are very limited opportunities for paid labor. This year we supported a local public school in Caguas in their School Garden project. Escuela Cipriano Manrique school received visits from our Outreach Coordinator on a monthly basis during the school year, as well as any tools needed from our Agroteca program, and educational support through hands-on learning. We have continued to participate in weekly brigades at our neighboring community garden "Jardín Ecológico de San Salvador". Our Kitchen Program provides weekly meals to all volunteers that work at the garden, supporting their efforts and outreach. Our ABONO program granted funds for different educational opportunities: Partial organic farming degree Support for travel to young farmers assisting a symposium on organic fertilizers Costs for assisting an herbal symposium We hosted the following workshops at our food hub space, called "Encuentros de Saberes": Coconut - Participants learned about the different stages of the coconut, its uses particular to each stage, and how to take advantage of the whole coconut, including composting and fiber. Fermentation - We learned and made three fermentation practices/stages (vinegars, sodas, spirits) using local plants from the San Salvador area, including fruits and medicinal plants. Our team coordinated and participated in a "field trip" visit to one of Puerto Rico's only organic seed companies, Desde Mi Huerto. We were accompanied by over a dozen other community members of San Salvador. The local community of San Salvador who benefit from active engagement in a more localized food system, increased access to more nutritious foods, opportunities for equitable employment, and programming such as culturally-based cooking classes, community meals, and events. Our Kitchen Program launched "Comidas Pal Barrio", distributing an average of 60 meals per week to local residents, mostly the elderly. This program has supported a holistic strategy of feeding the community with products from their own land. Standing purchasing agreements with three local senior farmers from the community of San Salvador, Caguas through our Ceiba Project. This year we have hired three new people to our Kitchen Program who work in product processing and cooking for our weekly meals program. Hiring of 2 local handymen for construction and internal food hub space needs. We constructed two rainwater collection roofs, a new concrete floor for workshops, and a new front gate for easier undocking of goods from van. 20 farms/families from San Salvador and surrounding areas received local vetiver plants as part of our educational offering to support farm erosion mitigation for hurricane resilience. Our seed exchanges have distributed plants, seeds, and practices from neighbor to neighbor, many being farmers or from farming families. This year we have exchanged seeds at our food hub space, farmers markets, and Open House events. We hosted three Open House events at our food hub space which included wellness resources like acupuncture, reflexology, nutritious lunches, and tours of the space and services we offer to the community. We received around 50 visitors each. These events all fell under the theme of "CARE". Changes/Problems:Some of the goals proposed last year were not accomplished due to changes in our model, as we adjusted according to our internal capacity, the relationship we continue to form with farmers and food producers, and the success of new programming and products. For example, we had proposed to develop growing plans with farmers this year, yet have shifted into focusing more on supporting the processing and distribution of excess produce, which has been more helpful to producers than just securing new crop varieties. Another change in our goals is that "host an end of year Food Hub partner focus group" and "assess and develop Food Hub Advisory Council'' is no longer a priority for us. It is challenging and not feasible to include all partners in a council. What was done instead was an internal evaluation through our team and collaborators, all of which have been assessing and experimenting with the Food Hub space. Our plans to develop a Food Hub Business plan have shifted more into documenting for a Food Hub Business "model". Overall as we put into practice our original plan and proposal, we are adjusting according to real life operations and experience. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In February 2023, we provided a scholarship to one of our Kitchen workers for a training opportunity at the "Proyecto Agroecológico y de Formación Josco Bravo", an independent agroecological farming school. Our Kitchen team and a few collaborators were trained and certified in Good Manufacturing Practices. One of our team members also hosted an internal training on Produce Safety as Community Care. This has supported the development of a healthy and sanitary community Kitchen program, as well as the continuing education of our team members. For a second year we coordinated an Immersive Training on Solar DC Systems for 12 farmers/food projects from Puerto Rico with travel to Living Energy Farms for 10 days. Participants learned about off grid farm models, DC solar energy systems, battery kits, "daylight drive", appliance and DC motor conversions for tools, solar water pumps and kitchen appliances for community kitchens and farms. Of this year's 12 participants, we had 2 Depa team members and 6 collaborators of our programming participate. Through our "Agroteca" program, we coordinated a series of "Encuentros de Saberes" (Exchanges of Knowledge), in the form of popular education workshops for the community, on subjects related to farming, crops, production, social justice, and renewable energy. Each workshop supported the hiring of local resources and facilitators, expanding income sources for our community. Our Kitchen program provided meals and refreshments to participants, and our Food Hub space was visited by an average of 30 people per event. Visitors got to see the evolution of our space and also support the internal training of our Kitchen team in learning more recipes, processing and catering skills. Workshops were done on: Fermentation, Coconuts, Erosion, Abolitionism + Conflict Resolution, Solar DC systems, and more. This year we also received a Case Study and report by a Masters in Food Systems graduate student, which has been a helpful tool in guiding our team to understand how the data we collect can be disseminated in various forms. This Case Study has also brought us experience in integrating students and interns into our work. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The organization reaches out to our collaborating farmers, producers, Abono grantees and Ceiba program participators by direct phone calls and emails (if they have internet access), which provide a more reliable method for leading conversations about purchasing agreements, collaborations, and planning for work brigades. We now have an Outreach Coordinator that has been in charge of disseminating information about workshops and events within our community of San Salvador Caguas and nearby areas. The population is mostly elderly, so our communication venues are different consisting mostly of in person outreach at schools, markets, churches, and community gatherings. Our Outreach Coordinator is also in various community Whatsapp group, further expanding our reach. We have also disseminated event information by printing out flyers and leaving posters at nearby markets and churches. We also use social media for outreach beyond our immediate community. We have also continued with our Farmer Survey to collect data around the needs of our food project network integrating it within our Abono application. This survey contains questions that address our programming and answers will influence future programming. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We achieved the following goals proposed from last year: Purchase ofCargo Van, Purchase of additional Kitchen equipment, Develop Food Hub Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Facilitate new product recipe development, Bring available products to market, Conduct community survey to inform final Food Hub design, host 1 renewable energy/climate resiliency training. For the following year we will continue to use our Food Hub space as El Departamento's headquarters. We plan on increasing events and workshops at the space as well as days open to the public. Our Kitchen program plans to continue to receive crops from local farmers, and for next year we plan on increasing the amount of produce bought, processed and distributed. We would also like to expand our points of sale and presence at markets. For next year we will be marketing our Original Product Line more on social media, as well as our newsletter, and plan on reopening online sales. For Year 3 our team will be converting data collected through our Farmer Survey, community feedback, workshops, and internal team gatherings, into Educational Material that shares the model of our Food Hub, best practices, SOP's, and other procedures. We will be documenting and sharing this information in various ways, not just as a way to share data with our region, but to also honor the legacy of many of the projects we work with, who fall out of the eyes of big markets and censuses, are alternative and different models, and form part of marginalized or underdocumented communities in food. For Year 3 we will be forming a new Board of Directors, as well as revisiting the model of our Ceiba and Abono programs to respond to reflections from this year. We will also be working more closely with collaborators on designing and installing renewable energy systems for other food spaces and farms. We also plan to create a support program specifically for our LGBTQQIA+ community.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
El Departamento de la Comida is a grassroots organization building skills, relationships, and economies for a food-sovereign Puerto Rico in face of present and future climate disasters, guaranteeing communities are prepared through mutual aid, community meals, and resource distribution. Our efforts this year have resulted in the expansion of material resources and educational services of our Food Hub space. The Community Food Project Grant has supported investments in new equipment for our "Agroteca" Resource Library, support to elderly farmers through brigades, companionship and support with labor, and the development and operation of a fully functional commercial Kitchen. This grant has supported us to have the necessary tools from within our Food Hub space to better support our community, serving as a model for other community spaces. We have coordinated and collaborated with a series of markets, workshops, and trainings. We continued to survey our farmer partners, we are currently serving weekly meals with our "Comidas Pal Barrio" initiative, we have purchasing agreements with farmers and small produce stores to buy crop surplus, used to create value added products, diminishing food waste, increasing farmers' incomes, and expanding distribution channels for all involved. We expanded the development of our Original Product Line and shifted from our e-commerce store to in-person point of sale at our space. We've increased organizational and environmental sustainability through renewable energy training and installations, equipment rentals, knowledge exchange, and documentation of our food hub's model to create a replicable blueprint for other projects. Our space is now equipped with tools and equipment needed to strive in the future, as a farming community that faces many challenges, including climate disasters, increasing costs of living, and lack of renewable resources that support sustainable and just futures for our land and people. We sold $3,875.55 in 13 markets across 3 municipalities. Our new program "Comidas Pal Barrio" serves around 60 meals a week to mostly elderly community members. Our guaranteed purchases of surplus crops from 2-3 rotating farmers, our elderly farmers from Proyecto Ceiba, and Glendy's Farm local market has increasedsales for these agricultural ventures and loweredfood waste. We process and pack these crops in our Kitchen with weekly volunteers and community kitchen staff creating shelf-stable seasonal products that are later sold under our Original Product Line. These crops are also used tocook the "Comidas Pal Barrio" meals, and also cater to events, brigades, and workshops.Points of sale our Original Product Line has launched. Shelfs in El Depa are currently stocked withshelf-stable products made with local community agroecological crops.This year our Original Product Line was the focus of our marketing and purchasing efforts in our Food Hub. This has allowed our Kitchen team to develop recipes, calculate pricing, develop SOPS and learn moreabout Value Chain coordination.Agroteca Resource Library equipment, seeds, and educational offerings expanded and continues to supportlocal farmers and residents. We purchased new equipmentfor our "Agroteca" tool lending library based on farmer's needsand gave maintenance to existing equipment. We purchased books and hosted events (see Other Products for specific details). Farmers continue to rent at accessible rates, borrow and learn about agricultural tools,read about the history of food and farming in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,new methods that support climate resilient efforts, and connect with social justice, gender justice, and other movements. Over 20 brigades have used tools from the library this year. Over 30 farms have rented out equipment. We continued to collectdata with the Farmer Survey (around needs andfuture programming)on an additional 40 projects this year.This year we completed the construction of our Food Hub and Kitchen headquarters. Our space is now used by our team on a daily basis, holds our Agroteca (Tool Lending, Seeds, Educational Materials library) and Kitchen equipment, serves as an office space, is the place where activities like Open Houses and workshops take place. It is the point of sale of our Original Product Line as well as ourcommunity meals. Our space has been open weekly for peopleto come anddeliver produce, pick up meals for their families, borrow and renttools, take workshops, exchange seeds,read in our library, andpurchase from our store.A good example of our whole systems approach is the relationship we cultivated with an elderly farm in Arroyo owned by an 80 year old black identified organic farmer. Through our Ceiba program we guaranteed a weekly farmer labor companion, bought and processed in our Kitchen unsold crops from markets, and identified needs. We supported the design, coordination and installation of a solar system (DC fridge, freezer, lighting, water pump) as a learning brigade with volunteers, further hosting a workshop where around 30 people learned about the system. This farm is now a model for Solar DC systems, led by an elder farmer with knowledge of valuable cultural farming practices, that will not be isolated nor obsolete, but an important and supported part of our community. Our base pay scale of $20/hour far exceeds the minimum wage of $9.50 as of 2023. Our team has increased its overall administrative skills as we continue to grow.We have expanded our operations to sustain 4 Kitchen program positions, hired a Financial Manager and an Operations and Programming Manager, and established a Community Outreach position. We contracted jobs for: building van space, maintaining our kitchen, supporting language justice interpretation, companion farmers for Ceiba Program, workshop/trainings facilitators. We provided scholarships for training at Josco Bravo for one farmer from San Salvador and supported Immersive DC Solar Training opportunity to 12 farmers from Puerto Rico to Living Energy Farms in Virginia.We collaborated with Huerto Feliz on the design of a solar system for their space. Our team trained in Value Chain Coordination, Solar DC systems, Abolitionism, Good Manufacturing Practices. We continued increased sales in markets with the Kitchen Program able to process and prepare more foods. Agroteca has more inventory and has received more income through rentals. Our in-person sales exceeded online sales due to strengthened relationships and regular open-hours. We pivoted to focus on our physical store, promoting for people to come see what we have. We have continued with journaling recipes and processing steps within our Kitchen program with the intent of making it accessible to the community. From the initial idea of our Agroteca being a full lending tool library, we want to relaunch a campaign for the 10-15 tools/machines we have available for rent. This is due to larger machines being utilized and rented out more frequently rather than small, manual tools. We have thus populated our Agroteca with more high-powered machinery and made the smaller tools part of our brigada equipment.Local community is more resilient and well-equipped in facing future climate disasters. We have continued our efforts to make our space more resilient and well-equipped. We increased our Agroteca inventory for clean up efforts after climate disasters. Among other tools and machines, we added to this inventory a donation of a hybrid electric generator with the intent of using and lending-out during these events. We now have a fully equipped kitchen ready to process crops and serve meals. As a continuation of last year's renewable energy efforts, we have installed in our Kitchen a direct drive DC solar fridge and freezer, a direct drive DC solar cooker, and a solar DC charging kit with batteries. Also training in DC Solar Immersion are specific towards resilience of future climate disasters.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience: Local small farmers who lack needed farm equipment and tools, consistent avenues to sell their produce, cultural seed varieties, and people power for volunteer and paid labor. 22 small agricultural projects have received support for establishing work brigades in their projects. We provided access to manual and mechanical agricultural tools from our Agroteca tool library, access to local seeds, and prepared meals for the volunteers participating in their brigades. We have established purchasing agreements with three local farmers from our local community of San Salvador, Caguas. Harvest purchased has been distributed to two community-run kitchens in Caguas, serving over 100 members of the communities of Las Carolinas and Pueblo, Caguas. 6 internal farm brigades were held to organize, design and develop our Food Hub Space, supporting a seed processing station, compost area and greenhouse tables to help us maintain potted plants that are redistributed with our more than 20 regional farmers and collaborators. We have partnered with local farm families like Carlos and Carmen Veguilla by supporting their crop sales (though our direct purchase and redistribution program), connecting them with community kitchen CAM Las Carolinas and Glendys Farms, and supported their application and participation in Agroecology Course "El Josco Bravo", where they connected with around 25 other regional farmers. Our Kitchen Program built an exterior walk-in cooler for future storage for our collaborating farmers to store crops, based on identified needs of refrigeration and lack of access to proper storage facilities. Our walk-in cooler is low-energy, and can work with our solar+storage system when electricity cuts off. We partnered with a local farmer to experiment with ají dulce processing using our Kitchen equipment and consulting. We did several tests of dehydrating and packaging his ajíes and have been establishing an artisanal product from crop to package. We are collaborating with the farmer in establishing a local distribution line as well as exporting to an artisanal spice company in the US. We designed, distributed a "Cacao Trees Care Tool Kit" including educational materials for growing, maintaining and harvesting cacao, and 10 young cacao trees from a local organic cacao breeding farm in Aguada, PR. New and existing food entrepreneurs who currently lack access to distribution channels, brand recognition, and marketing activities needed to increase sales. 11 agricultural projects have been supported through our online store and market sales. These farms/projects produce harvest and by-products from local food grown by them or collaborating small farms nationwide. We have products made in Adjuntas, Hatillo, Corozal, Aguadilla, Caguas and San Juan by more than 50% of them being Queer/femme owned. From these 11 agricultural projects, we were able to re-distribute to date more than $2400.00 of products to local community kitchens. Our online store has around thirty products available from these projects, as well as books and merchandise from local authors and artists. We ran a social media campaign in collaboration with "Mi Plantita" project for promoting products from our farmer network with recipes and educational information. This also increased social media following as well as product sales for farm projects. Neighbors from San Salvador, Caguas have visited during workshops, training, weekly "open house" days and seed exchanges. Most visitors of our less than 3,000 residents in San Salvador are farmers of 50+years of age according to the U.S. census of 2010. Glendy's Farms is a neighboring produce store we have begun to collaborate with. Our team interviewed the owners/staff in order to better understand their story and current needs, has been visiting the store frequently, marketing their products through our networks, and are currently preparing a collaboration agreement with the business in order to collaborate with them on ongoing marketing, consulting, and decreasing their food waste while increasing sales. This has also brought many new customers to their store. Consumers, community groups, students, and others across the island and beyond who seek opportunities to purchase local, healthy foods, and to learn about farming practices, cultural foods and seeds, sustainability, and climate resilience strategies. Our participation at Huerto Feliz's monthly community market in Caguas attends to a mostly young, afro-caribbean LGBTTQI+ population. Visitors are residents of the downtown area of this municipality, where a mix of young families and single households populate the area, with a median income of approximately $15,757 per capita as of the 2021 U.S. census. Our "brigadas" and volunteer support have given access to resources, materials and specialized work consultants to 22 farm projects led by mostly young farmers, most of them transitioning jobs and fields of study and in need of guidance. Local farmers and regional supporters that frequent our Open Houses on Saturdays and purchase items from our store inside our Food Hub Space. Market visitors who frequent our tables weekly at our Old San Juan market table that range from local residents of the area, driven to finding organically produced fresh produce, and artisanally made by-products Cooks from our Kitchen Program support a community kitchen in Caguas through cooking demonstrations and educational support to engage volunteer cooks in including fresh produce in their food donations. Our team also supported the transition to compostable containers to replace foam for these distributed meals. We hosted an intern from The University of Puerto Rico's Sustainable Agriculture Department in Utuado for a total of 45 hours including work at our food hub space, office, events, and farm visits. We co-coordinated a "DC Solar Power Training" with Living Energy Farm for solar resilient training in fabrication and installation of DC microgrids, kitchen appliances and repair. Living Energy Farm is an off-grid seed producing farm and community kitchen project in Louisa County Virginia. We 12 applicants were chosen to participate in two group trips to stay at the farm and train for two weeks. The local community of San Salvador who benefit from active engagement in a more localized food system, increased access to more nutritious foods, opportunities for equitable employment, and programming such as culturally-based cooking classes, community meals, and events. Standing purchasing agreements with three local senior farmers from the community of San Salvador, Caguas. Hiring of Kitchen Manager/Main Cook, Market + Store Manager, Market Vendor Hiring of 2 local handymen for construction and internal food hub work brigade needs in the space. 9 farms/families from San Salvador and surrounding areas received local cacao trees, educational materials, and signed an agreement to plant, maintain, and harvest these trees as part of our efforts to increase access to healthy food crops. Our monthly seed exchanges have distributed plants, seeds, and practices from neighbor to neighbor, many being farmers or from farming families. We hosted a First Aid workshop for neighbors and farmers from surrounding communities as part of our workshops around the theme of "Care". 12 people were certified after this training. Changes/Problems:A number of our stated activities in our Year 1 timeline (specified in the previous response) have not yet been completed due to two major challenges we experienced. Our first major challenge was a significant delay in being able to activate utilities, including electricity and water, for our food hub space, and acquiring the necessary permits to install and operate our commercial kitchen equipment. We were not able to accomplish these goals until March of 2022, halfway through our Year 1 timeline. Another major challenge to our goals and timeline was unexpected staff turnover. Once our kitchen received its utilities and permits in March, we began contracting a lead cook and a kitchen coordinator to support the kitchen-related activities in our project timeline. By May, it became evident that these two candidates were not delivering on the responsibilities they had been contracted to perform, and we terminated them. Beginning August 1, we have contracted a new lead cook who is now resuming activities according to our timeline. The purchase of the vehicle cargo van was re-scheduled to last quarter of 2022 as a response to timeline adjustments, hiring priorities and the difficulty to acquire transportation at a reasonable price and durable quality. We are also transitioning a change in our core staff, which will be reflected in the management of this CFP grant as well. Kieran Murray, Events and Brigades Manager will be transitioning out of this role and the position will be filled by Keila Fontánez. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In February 2022, El Depa's team members joined by an external facilitator spent three days working on team building, organizational growth and long term planning for the organization and evaluated what has been achieved so far. This retreat was followed by a one day workshop on conflict resolution and non-violent communication.We are currently planning an internal Food Safety Training team for our whole team happening on September 2th and continuing with a safe food manufacturing practices certification on the 8th. Starting January 2022, we provided scholarships for a training opportunity in Agroecology farming at the Proyecto Agroecológico y de Formación Josco Bravo, an independent school. Three partnering farmers from San Salvador, Caguas were covered by direct financial support for the six month course that also included 50 hours of practice work. We supported the organization and delivery of an Immersive Training opportunity that was provided to 12 farmers/food projects from Puerto Rico with travel to Living Energy Farms for two weeks, who are a partnering farm and energy project in Louisa, Virginia. Participants learned about off grid farm models, DC solar energy systems, battery kits, "daylight drive", appliance and DC motor conversions for tools, solar water pumps and kitchen appliances for community kitchens and farms. Of the 12 participants, we had 1 Depa team member participate and 5 farmers who we have close collaborative relationships with. The group meets the 2nd week of September to share experiences, how they want to collaborate and next steps. Through our Agroteca program, we coordinated First Aid Training and certification for the community of San Salvador and El Depa's team in early May 2022. The workshop was imparted and certified by the Red Cross. This event launched a Summer series of conversational experiences and exchanges around local seeds that have served us and our community as non-traditional educational spaces. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The organization reaches out to our collaborating farmers and producers by direct phone calls and emails (if they have internet access), which provide a more reliable method for leading conversations about purchasing agreements, collaborations and planning for work brigades. From the experience of interviewing 5 agricultural projects on the subject of farm work brigades and their best practices we developed a 5 episode series dedicated to making visible and celebrating the culture of the agricultural brigades in our archipelago. The audios are available on two global streaming platforms, Ancorn and Spotify, since the last week of August 2022. We designed and published a Farmer Survey to collect data around the needs of our food project network. This survey contains questions that address our programming and answers will influence future programming. We have been sharing this survey through various networks, and have reached more than 80 people to date. The first round of outreach was done via email and we have started a second round of access to the survey by calling the farmers directly and conducting the survey as a phone interview. It has also been available for filling at our farmers' market table and at our events. Every month we conduct social media polls to survey constituents on educational materials they wanna see at the Agroteca/ Resource Library. Our organization's website is currently transitioning to a different ecommerce and communications platform that will provide more user friendly features, data collection catered to our needs and a way four our supporters to access products from anywhere in the world. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Now that delays in receiving permits and utilities for our food hub space have been resolved, necessary equipment purchased, the planned activities and goals involving our industrial kitchen can finally continue to grow and get established as we move through our timeline. Additionally, with our new hires and confidence in their right fit for the roles, we expect to accomplish some carry over objectives from Year 1 that are still in progress and set to be met in the next 4-5 months as simultaneously targeting objectives for Year 2 Quarter 1. Purchase Cargo Van (in progress) Purchase additional Kitchen equipment (in progress) Develop Food Hub Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Develop Growing Plans with farmers (development stage) Facilitate new product recipe development between chefs and farmers(in progress, work with ají dulce) Establish sales distribution channels for Cocina Program Product Lines Bring available products to market Develop product marketing campaigns Conduct Market Analysis (development stage) Conduct community survey to inform final Food Hub design, reaching 50-100 stakeholders (in progress) Host 1 renewable energy/climate resiliency training (we had training, on going) Host end of year Food Hub partner focus group to document learnings & changes Assess and develop Food Hub Advisory Council strategy Develop Food Hub Business Plan
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Departamento de la Comida is building skills, relationships, and economies for a food-sovereign Puerto Rico in face of climate disasters, guaranteeing communities are prepared through mutual aid, meals, and resource distribution. Our efforts this year have resulted in expansion of material resources and educational services of our Food Hub , a much needed model to continue to build up in the Caribbean. The CFP grant supported investments in programming for our Resource Library, Brigadas Solidarias (farm work days), and Kitchen. As a means to increase access to healthy, local foods across low-income communities in Puerto Rico, Departamento de la Comida designed, coordinated and collaborated with markets, workshops, and training, both in and out of our Food Hub in San Salvador, Caguas. Engaging our community with educational opportunities, we surveyed farmer partners, produced a 5-episode podcast series, and hosted events ranging from a First Aid certification course to community seed exchanges. We laid the foundation to expand distribution channels and increase income of local farmers by piloting a distribution partnership, conducting research and development for our product line, and launching a social media campaign to promote farmer products on our ecommerce store. We've increased organizational and environmental sustainability through renewable energy training and installations, equipment rentals, knowledge exchange, and documentation of our food hub's model in order to create a replicable blueprint for other projects. Our space is equipped with tools needed to strive in the future, as a farming community that faces many challenges in the Caribbean, including climate disasters, increasing costs of living, and lack of renewable resources that support sustainable and just futures for our land and people.? Low-income residents have increased opportunities to access local food, via product distribution and Food Hub programming (meals, events, and cooking lessons). $2588.50 in food products was sold in 16 markets across 3 municipalities with a high population of low-income residents and low-access to locally sourced food. Programming and product distribution directly increased access to fresh food, plants and value added products for the community of San Salvador, Caguas.Community members can access seeds, plants, and educational resources to grow their own food and reduce dependency on low-quality store-bought imported foods. Our space has been open weekly, during which visitors read in our library, take seeds, purchase from store, rent tools, exchange food. Purchasing agreements are created with farmers to increase crop production and ensure sales, decreasing food waste and increasing income. We established recurring purchasing from three local farmers, distributed monthly to a local community kitchen, processed through dehydration, cooked for meals. We worked to create a value-added product with ají dulce: harvest was brought to Kitchen, from crop to product. farmers learned options available, costs, energy consumption, and taste differences. We are establishing a purchase agreement with this farmer and a spice importer company.Points of sale for El Departamento Original Product Line are expanded to include additional farmers' markets, restaurants, and stores. Farmers brought crops during events, processed/experimented in the kitchen to create value-added, extended shelf-life goods. We have an agreement with one producer for a line of jams to be sold under El Depa's label.Food producer visibility and sales are increased through integration in Private Label Product Line and social media marketing campaigns & press. We launched a social media educational series around ingredients with a local food anthropologist. This outperformed by 90% typical posts. We relaunched a Newsletter sharing list of over 1,000 emails.Agroteca Resource Library equipment, seeds, and educational offerings are expanded and maintained to continue supporting the resource needs of local farmers and residents. We purchased new equipment and books for our tool lending library, gave maintenance to existing equipment. Workshops, seed exchanges, and events took place (see Other Products for specific event details). 10 brigades this year have used tools, we offer weekly rental of equipment to farmers. We partnered with Somos Semillas Antillanas on our seed exchanges that receive an average of 50 people.Ongoing data collection and community outreach conducted to inform decision-making. A Farmer Survey was created to collect data around farmer needs and will influence future programming. Program Abono collected data on 70 projects around needs for brigades, materials, and volunteers.Robust, interconnected, and accessible programming is implemented that brings in local residents and demonstrates whole systems approach to addressing food insecurity. Our activities embody a whole systems approach. For example: we purchased 100 locally bred/adapted cacao trees, notified via newsletter and 10 farmers completed an application, visited our food hub space and received trees. Included was nutritional information about cacao, how to plant, agreement to maintain and report harvest. Farmers were given a tour of our food hub space and informed that their future cacao processing can be done at the El Depa Kitchen. Equitable work and training opportunities created for low-income community members. The base pay scale we have been able to provide for our team members exceeds the minimum wage of $8.50 as of 2022. We have contracted work to: 2 Kitchen program , 2 market coordination, contract jobs for building cooler, kitchen space, roofing. We provided scholarships for training at Josco Bravo for three farmers, an Immersive Training opportunity to 12 farmers, and a First Aid Certification.Organizational financial & administrative literacy is strengthened regarding local market trends and viable Food Hub business models. We conducted training in: Food Safety, finance, tool lending, budgeting, web sales platforms, campaign development. Working with Glendy's Farms assessed trends specific to our area. Standard Operating Procedures and Organizational Structuring has been designed. We received technical assistance from Daisa Enterprises and Loiter Together. Surveys and online applications helped shape a community conscious work plan for the Food Hub.Food Hub revenue increases with the full utilization of Cocina & Agroteca Programs. We provided meals for brigades, purchased local crops, $200-500/per event. We increased sales in farmers markets with prepared foods. A streamlined commerce platform increased sales through website, social media and newsletter outlets. Our Agroteca now has more inventory to offer for rentals. Learnings and innovations are documented to design a replicable Food Hub model that is responsive and tailored to the unique food system circumstances of Puerto Rico. We have documented process learnings, will begin to make these accessible through our platforms, working on replicability and accessibility. Kitchen worked with journaling recipes and processing steps, cooks documented prices, timing. We partnered with Food Policy Center at Duke University for documentation of our food hub model and climate resiliency practices.Local community is more resilient and well-equipped in facing future climate disasters.The completion of our Food Hub directly secures increased resilience for our community. The space is equipped with specific tools used after climate disasters for clean up efforts. A solar system offers electricity when power is cut off. A walk-in cooler prolongs crop storage for farmers and proper refrigeration of medicines. Trainings in First Aid and DC Solar Immersion are specific towards future climate disasters.
Publications
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