Cornell Small Farms Program Equity and Justice Statement
The Cornell Small Farms Program is a statewide research and extension program serving the needs of aspiring and active farmers in New York, the Northeast, and beyond. As part of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we support and uplift small-scale farming as a dignified, viable, and meaningful livelihood by providing intentional, innovative, and inclusive services.
We serve anyone who self-identifies as a contributor to farm and food systems from seed to market, including farm owners, managers, value-chain members, and employees. Our programs help people aspiring to or actively farming for themselves and their communities, from rural to urban settings.
We recognize that there are historical and present-day injustices that have made access to land, capital, education, and supportive networks more challenging for many based upon race, gender, socio-economic status, education level, and immigration status. The experience of these injustices can be blatant or subtle and affect a person’s sense of safety and belonging.
We also recognize that our affiliation to a well-known academic institution provides us privilege and access to resources that could be otherwise scarce for many that we serve.
We aspire to leverage our position to create spaces where anyone who wants to farm finds a supportive network and resources to succeed. We will prioritize relationships, collaborations, and new strategies that build a future in which all small farms are recognized, respected, and supported as key to an equitable and resilient food system.
Inclusion requires action, and as such the staff of the Cornell Small Farms Program actively commits to:
- Model equitable and just support to all farmers
- Examine our own roles in, and understanding of, systemic barriers
- Support project partners to develop relationships with diverse audiences
- Engage in diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism trainings and apply what we learn to our work
- Elevate the voices and stories of diverse farmers in our outreach
- Empower farm employees as entrepreneurs and leaders
- Cultivate inclusive spaces where multiple perspectives are respected
- Provide resources in multiple languages, literacy levels, and in accessible formats
- Promote tools, strategies and adaptive/assistive technologies that support farming for all
