SOUTHERN RURAL

BLACK WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

WITH ROOTS AS DEEP AS OURS,FLAVOR IS ASSURED

The farmers of the Women in Agriculture initiative grew up in the fields of the South. Our ancestors were slaves. But our ancestors were also free men and women, farmers and civil rights activists. The memories and stories - both good and bad - have made us who we are. We are proud to call this place our home.

We aren’t just farm workers or farm owners. We are both. We are the women who till the soil, sew the seeds, and perform the harvest.

We are a collective act of agricultural pride, standing proudly on the shoulders of generations of African-American farmers in the South.

Our family trees have deep roots in this soil.

Does this make a difference in the quality of our products? Of course, it does.

We invite you to enjoy the results of our heritage, our hard work, and our generations of farming secrets.

FOR US, FARMING IS NOT A JOB IT IS OUR CALLING

• The number of farmers’ markets reached 5,274 in 2009, up from just 1,755 in 1994.

• US agricultural cooperatives now provide over 250 thousand jobs and annual wages of over $8 billion.

• Fair Trade sales in the US grew 75% in 2011 alone.

In other words, consumers are spending their money in a way that expresses their values.

Many of us grew up in the Civil Rights Era, so the growth in ethical consumerism is a welcome development for us.

We believe that hard work should be rewarded and that business should be conducted with integrity. Each time a consumer chooses one of our products, they are building a stronger economic system right here in the United States.

But supporting agricultural cooperatives like ours is about more than just values or politics. In a world of commodities, consumers are hungry for information about the food they are feeding their families.

We are always happy to tell our story

A SHORT HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FARMINGOur ancestors, West African slaves and Caribbean and Mexican migrants, brought with them advanced agricultural and environmental knowledge. From the healing properties of plants to elaborate agricultural systems, Black Americans played a pivotal role in the development of North American agriculture.

With the end of slavery, black communities took charge of our own affairs – forming hundreds of “land based institutions” which became primary providers of academic, vocational, and agricultural education.

Cooperatives like ours are an extension of those traditions. We build on the hard work of our ancestors to create economic opportunity and community wellbeing, and we do so while nurturing soils that our families have tended for generations.

CONSUMERS WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM.WITH US, YOU CAN TELL THEM.

When our ancestors grew sweet potatoes on plantations and farms in the South, they called them “nyami”after the starchy, edible tuber that grew in their homelands of West Africa.

The Senegalese word “nyami” was eventually shortened to “yam”. Whether you call them sweet potatoes or yams, this vegetable has become a staple of North American cuisine.

We grow sweet potatoes in open fields as nature intended, on soils our families have tended for generations. The variety we grow - beauregard - was developed in Louisiana and is ideally adapted for the growing conditions of the South.

We are actively exploring a wider variety of crops, including a purple sweet potato that is said to have more nutrients and better flavor.

THE HEALTHIEST GREENSSweet potato greens were a traditional staple of our West African ancestors. When sautéed, they have a distinct, spinach-like flavor and are said to have a higher polyphenol content than any other commercial vegetable.

You can sautee them in olive or canola oil, butter or bacon fat. You can steam them or boil them. Try them with a touch of garlic, hot sauce or a sprinkling of lemon juice for a little extra kick.

THE BEAUREGARDCopper colored skin, a deep rich flesh, and a sweet,

buttery flavor like no other sweet potato.

Cooperation has always been central to African American cultural survival.

By working together we improve our community, we grow better crops, and we keep costs down for our customers.

SRBWI’s Women in Agriculture program coordinates family farmers across five counties in Mississippi, coming together to work the land cooperatively.

In keeping with our heritage, any crops that are not harvested for sale are left in the field for the community to use.

THE SOIL IS OUR HERITAGEYou can’t keep growing good food without replenishing the soil. That’s why SRBWI’s Women in Agriculture program is working to improve environmental stewardship - not just on the land we farm collectively, but on each of our own farms too.

From no-till practices that prevent soil erosion and protect water ways, to minimizing fertilizer and pesticide use, our farmers are serious about their role as stewards of the land.

We are developing a full program of training and environmental management.

Members of the Women in Agriculture Initiative gather at the Georgia Agricultural Extension Research Farm to learn about soil conservation and watershed management.

COLLECTIVELY GROWN. COMPETITIVELY PRICED.

SRBWI’s Women in Agriculture program is more than just a co-op. It’s the manifestation of a history that goes back generations and spans continents.

As a buyer of our produce, you support that history.

Our point-of-sales materials are strategically designed to help you leverage that message. They include:

THE BEAUREGARDCopper colored skin, a deep rich flesh, and a sweet, rich flavor like no other sweet potato. Developed in Louisiana, we grow the beauregard in open fields as nature intended, in the climate it was created for.

SOUTHERN RURAL

BLACK WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

WITH ROOTS AS DEEP AS OURS,FLAVOR IS ASSURED

$X.XX/LB

SOUTHERN RURAL

BLACK WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

WITH ROOTS AS DEEP AS OURS,FLAVOR IS ASSURED

We aren’t just farm workers or farm owners. We are both. We are the women who till the soil, sew the seeds, and perform the harvest.

We are a collective act of agricultural pride, standing proudly on the shoulders of generations of African-American

farmers in the South.

Our family trees have deep roots in this soil.

Does this make a difference in the quality of our products? Of course, it does.

We invite you enjoy the results of our heritage, our hard work, and our generations

of farming secrets.

SAUTEED SWEET POTATO GREENS MISSISSIPPI-STYLE

by Bonita A. Conwell

Delicious with a spinach-like texture, sweet potato greens have more cancer-fighting polyphenols than any other commercial vegetable. They are a staple of West African cooking.

INGREDIENTS :1 tbsp chopped garlic1 tbsp chopped onionHot sauceOne bunch beauregard sweet potato leavessalt to taste

DIRECTIONS• preheat the pan or wok with 1/2 cup cooking oil.• stir in onion, garlic and sautee until fragrant.• stir in sweet potato leaves and cook under high

heat.• add in salt and hot pepper to haste; and turn off

the heat, once the leaves became soft.a

Bonita Conwell farms 23 acres in Washington County, Mississippi. The land has been in her family for 3 generations.

PRODUCESTICKERS

POINT OF SALE CARDS

RECIPE & INFORMATION CARDS

YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL LOVE OUR STORY

(WE’D LIKE TO HELP YOU TELL IT)

The Civil Rights struggle didn’t end in the Nineteen Sixties. It didn’t begin there either.

Women in Agriculture was launched by the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative – a collective of women leaders across Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. We are dedicated to celebrating the achievements of our ancestors, and we are determined to continue their efforts to push our communities forward.

We’ve started a worker-owned sewing company. We’ve established a women’s agricultural cooperative and commercial kitchens. We’ve created a transportation business run by women. And we have established human rights commissions in communities that are all too often forgotten about by mainstream America. We also have an active program promoting young women’s leadership and cultural heritage celebration.

In isolation, each of these initiatives achieves important goals. But collectively, they represent a larger vision: a world where Southern Rural Black Women are recognized for the hard-working innovators, business people, mothers, community leaders and activists that we are.

Civil rights marchers in the sixties demand equality and an end to segregation. Our work is a direct extension of their efforts.

WE ARE SOUTHERN RURAL BLACK WOMEN.

Your support means a lot. We take our commitments seriously -

and we always deliver on our promises.

Ordering informationBonita Conwell

EMAIL: msdsrbwia@yahoo.comTEL: 662 719 2656

SOUTHERN RURAL

BLACK WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

WHEN YOU ORDER OUR SWEET POTATOES, YOU ARE TAKING A STAND WITH SOUTHERN RURAL BLACK WOMEN