July 2016
THE DFTA DISPATCH
Food for Thought and Thought for Food

Letter from the National Coordinator
Dear Members and Supporters,

I love summer.  It means my local food co-op and farmers markets are teeming with fresh fruits and vegetables.  It means long hours of sunlight and days at the beach.  And it also means we're one step closer to our annual conference!  

The Conference Planning Committee has been working hard to make this annual conference better than ever, but we need your help! It's now time to submit a workshop/session proposal.  Need ideas? Check out the rest of our newsletter! You can read about campaigns that the DFTA and our members are engaged in and learn more about how we're working to maintain a high bar for fair trade and social justice standards.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and is excited to share their ideas for our annual conference.  Till next time! 

Sincerely,
  



Erika A. Inwald
National Coordinator

P.S. Don't forget to register for our FREE Northeast Gathering on Domestic Fair Trade!
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Call for DFTA Conference Workshop Proposals !
Do you have an idea for a workshop?  Is there a session you'd like to lead?  We are currently soliciting workshop proposals for the 2016 DFTA conference, which will be from December 9-11 at the Hilton in downtown Portland, OR.   Please fill out this short form or email [email protected] by August 15th to send your idea to the Conference Planning Committee. Even if you don't want to lead the workshop or session yourself, don't hesitate to add an idea that you think someone else could lead.  The more input we get from everyone, the better the conference will be! 

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Northeast Gathering on Domestic Fair Trade
Join the DFTA, the Pioneer Valley Worker Center, and DFTA members, CATA and NOFA for an open meeting on Domestic Fair Trade! This FREE event will allow you to  share your projects and organizing efforts and will provide the opportunity to discuss how to build real campaigns that will work for the benefit of farmers and farmworkers.  There will be presentations from Migrant Justice, the Agrarian Action Network, and much more! Don't miss out and pre-register today!


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Campaigns
Below are just a few advocacy campaigns that you should keep an eye on.  Want to see your advocacy campaign highlighted in our next newsletter? Contact [email protected].   

1. Fighting Seed Consolidation: DFTA member, RAFI, along with many allied organizations, is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to: 

(a)  Stop seed industry mergers and 
(b) Encourage state agriculture departments to hold hearings that allow the farmers and consumers in their states to discuss seed industry consolidation.  

Sign the letter today to support seed diversity!

2. Plate of the Union Campaign: The DFTA is a strong supporter of the campaign to let our presidential candidates know that they must fix our food and agricultural system.  It's not too late to sign the petition! Learn more here.
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Committee Spotlight
Fair Facts Team

As many of you may know, Fair Trade USA, a third party certifier of fair trade products, has recently released revised standards for public comment.  These standards will be used to certify farms and businesses in the Global South as well as the United States, Canada, and other countries in the Global North starting in 2017.  The DFTA has convened a committee of members to work on a public comment for these revised standards.  

Our members are currently reviewing the standards and will meet by phone on August 11th for a discussion.  Interested in helping to shape our public comment?  Email [email protected] today to get started!       

Want to Join Another Committee? 
The DFTA currently has six active committees that anyone from our member organizations and businesses can join.  For more information on any of the committees listed below, please contact [email protected].

Current Committees
1. Strategic Planning Committee
2. DFTA Conference Planning Committee
3. Fundraising Committee
4. Advocacy Committee
5. Bylaw and Internal Policy Committee
6. Membership Committee
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Support the DFTA Today!
The DFTA seeks to make our annual conference financially accessible for farmworkers, small/mid-size producers, and low-income community members.   Your support will allow a diverse range of people to share their experiences and empower each other to continue to improve our agricultural system.  Give now via PayPal or by sending a check to the address listed below to help make our conference a success!

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P.O. Box 210638, Brooklyn, NY 11221