Food Sovereignty
for the Catskills...
and beyond!

Catskills • The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York.

Agrarian • Relating to land, the ownership of land or to farming. Promoting land reform or the interests of farmers.

Alliance • A relationship based on an affinity in interests, nature, or qualities.

We imagine a worldview in which Earth is not just an extractable resource, food is not a commodity, and partnership replaces exploitation.

We imagine a populated Catskills’ farmland of the not-too-distant future thriving ecologically and economically under the stewardship of farmers growing nutrient-dense food made available to all the people within our foodshed.

We imagine plenty and satisfaction.

The Catskills Agrarian Alliance models food sovereignty in our region by protecting and promoting the right of all people to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, as well as by supporting their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.

Living Wages
Agriculture as an industry in the United States has been—and continues to be—predicated on the exploitation of labor. In an attempt to dismantle historically classist and racist labor practices, CAA pursues funding strategies that recognize and honor the complex knowledge, undying creativity, and immense physical endurance of agricultural workers.

Reciprocal Stewardship
We do not own the land. The first agricultural revolution was based on exploitation, extraction, and petrochemical intervention and is largely responsible for the environmental and health crisis we face today. The current agricultural revolution needs to be about the development of a reciprocal relationship with our ecology within a responsible limit/scale. We believe that farmers are great stewards of the land who can do our part to reestablish, protect, and benefit from ecological diversity by keeping our farms and forests intact and by employing holistic management practices to produce bountiful, nutritious, and delicious food.

Inclusion and Empowerment
CAA recognizes that the vast inequities in agriculture—and beyond—have been intentionally designed through harmful policies since the inception of this nation. This history of inequitable policies has created the current environment in which historically marginalized communities continue to be systematically excluded. We uplift and center these communities within our work, with a particular lens and attention on the impact for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and Communities of color. Examples of this work within our organization:

We work closely with our farmer and mutual aid advisory boards to be sure our farms are growing and distributing culturally-relevant food for stake-holder communities.

We create opportunities to get involved as decision-makers, farmers, advocates, value-chain-facilitators, and technical assistance consultants.

Self-identifying members of the above communities are leaders within CAA at every level of the org.

Community Organizing & Mutual Aid

• Food distributions alongside our mutual aid partners in the Catskills, Hudson Valley, & NYC
• Farm Stands at community events

Stewardship of Land
• Land access for historically marginalized communities

Production of Food
• Modeling an agroecology peasant farm
• Farmer Incubation - training the next generation

Aggregation and Distribution of Food
• CSA
• Wholesale
• Farm-to-Institution