NOVEL APPROACHES PROJECT

CULTURALLY MEANINGFUL, REGIONALLY ADAPTED SEED: 

Making the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance Market Ready

In collaboration with Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NESARE), and the University of Vermont, in 2022 Steam Onward was awarded a three year USDA grant to enhance the market viability of culturally meaningful (CM), regionally adapted seed in the Northeast, in order to strengthen the cultural appropriateness and climate resilience of the food system. 

The specific objectives of this project are to:

• (a) determine the opportunities and barriers to marketing CM seeds, 
• (b) assess UCFA growers’ position to leverage market opportunities, 
• (c) assess Northeastern end users’ demand for CM seeds, and 
• (d) build the capacity of UCFA to take advantage of identified opportunities. 

These objectives support Northeastern BIPOC growers benefitting from an emerging market while enhancing climate resilience, food security, and equity in the regional food system.