On October 19, 2017 leaders from four refugee and immigrant farming communities came to consensus to start a nonprofit in support of the success of refugee and immigrant farms in the Valley.

All Farmers is proud to be led by the communities we serve. Our strategic priorities are set by the farmers at our annual meeting, and a minimum of one half of our Board of Directors are refugees or immigrants themselves.

Building Consensus

The communities we serve come from across the globe, with different histories, experiences, languages, and perspectives. We developed our decision-making cycle to balance input, encourage collaboration and cooperation across groups, and weigh the needs of communities and newer arrivals not yet directly involved in making decisions for the organization.

We use this process when making strategic decisions, including organizational priorities, land access, and site planning. We know we are making a balanced decision grounded in our mission and values when we are in alignment at each stop along the cycle.

Equity & Accessibility

Here are some of the ways All Farmers is paying attention to equity and accessibility as an organization:

Language: We provide interpretation for any Board Member who would benefit from it.
Literacy: You do not need to be able to read to meaningfully participate on our Board or as a farmer in our programs. We provide information orally, in audio files, and/or videos where it is necessary or helpful.
Reimbursements for Childcare and Lost Wages: To keep our Board accessible to families with limited resources, we reimburse Board Members for childcare expenses and lost wages from participating on our Board.
Living Wages: All Farmers is committed to providing living wages for all staff.

We have come a long way, and are still growing. Does your organization have other practices we should consider? We want to hear from you.