2018 Winter HAFA Newsletter
Happy Holidays from the HAFA staff! One to ones with our farmers are done, the end of the season reflection meeting was held last Tuesday. Holiday cards have been signed and sent, and finally, we are preparing the office to close for our holiday break. So long 2018 and welcome 2019!
But even as the year passes on to another, we are reminded of the rhythm of life. This year our staff saw the passing of beloved aunts and uncles and our dear farmer member, Mai Yia Moua, lost her battle with cancer. But we also welcomed our new Food Hub Director, Bailey Webster, and celebrated the birth of a daughter for our Co-Founder, Janssen Hang and his family.
So, today let us celebrate the shortest day of the year and know that surely afterwards, light will return to night. Happy Solstice to you all and thank you always for being a friend to our farmers and to HAFA. Please consider making an end of the year donation to HAFA through our website or send us a check to: 149 Thompson Avenue East, Suite 210 in West Saint Paul, MN 55118.
Year in Review
This past year HAFA staff seized many learning opportunities. In the spring, we traveled to California to learn about the moringa tree from researchers at UC Davis Agriculture and Sustainability Institute and visited a year-round organic farm called Full Belly in Guinda. We also visited numerous cooperatives including the San Jerardo Housing Coop and Mandela Marketplace in Oakland.
Our Co-Founders, Pakou Hang and Janssen Hang, took sabbaticals this past year that saw Pakou traveling to Europe with the German Marshall Memorial Fellowship program to learn about the history of the trans-Atlantic relationship and food cooperatives, and Janssen to the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. to meet with Hmong farmers in Washington, Oregon and Montana.
Lastly, in this season of reflection, we also wanted to highlight our Business Development Program (BDP) that unfortunately will be truncated this coming year due to funding lost. For the past five years, HAFA has worked with the East Side Financial Center and Ridgewater College to offer financial counseling and training to our farmers and their family members; helped them write business plans, generate financial reports and sign up for crop insurance; and offered a one to one match for any funds they saved up to $2,000. As a result of our work, over 48 farmers saved over $80,300, and leveraged that savings with microloans to purchase over $203,370 worth of farm equipment to improve and grow their farming operations. We are so proud of that work and want to thank everyone involved, especially Viva Yang and Phia Vue from East Side Financial Center and Mike Mastey and Steve Zenk from Ridgewater College for their partnership.
Finally
In her travels, one of Pakou’s most critical memory was visiting the Topography of Terror exhibit on top of the old SS headquarters in Berlin, Germany. One placard at the exhibit read: “This memory is painful because it demonstrates that one could have definitely known what was going on, what was happening to the Jews. That one was definitely free to act in one way or another. And that the majority simply did not make use of this freedom, but instead looked away or participated.” As many of you know, our membership is made up of Hmong farmers, many of whom are political refugees from the Vietnam War. In this critical moment in our country’s history, especially near the southern border and with people seeking asylum, let us learn from history and decide to use our freedom for good.
Happy Holidays!
We are dedicated to advancing the prosperity of Hmong farmers through cooperative endeavors, capacity building and advocacy. HAFA was started and is led by family farmers. Organizing is in our DNA.