Funwi Tita is a farmer, food systems leader, and community advocate based in Minnesota. He is the founder of Better Greens LLC, a specialty crop farm and food enterprise dedicated to producing culturally relevant vegetables and strengthening local food systems. Through Better Greens, he works to increase access to fresh, culturally meaningful foods while supporting emerging and immigrant farmers in building sustainable agricultural businesses.

Funwi also serves as President of the Minnesota African Immigrant Farmers Association (MAIFA), where he leads efforts to create opportunities for immigrant and beginning farmers through training, land access, market development, and community partnerships. Under his leadership, MAIFA has helped connect farmers to resources, strengthen farmer networks, and expand participation in Minnesota’s agricultural economy.

His work focuses on building a more equitable and resilient food system by connecting farmers, markets, and communities. Funwi is particularly passionate about improving post-harvest infrastructure, expanding market access for small farmers, and ensuring that culturally relevant foods are available to communities experiencing food insecurity.

Through his work at the intersection of agriculture, food access, and community development, Funwi continues to advocate for policies and initiatives that empower farmers while improving the health and well-being of diverse communities across Minnesota.

Aparna is an Associate Professor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies program at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is passionate about developing an ecosystem that bridges students’ academic and workforce needs with those of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Community engagement with long-term mutually beneficial partnerships for teaching, learning, and research is at the heart of her work. Aparna provides leadership and scholarly expertise in Social Entrepreneurship for the Duluth Center for Women and Children’s signature program, Nourish. She is currently co-leading the creation of a Humanities-led Community-Engaged Food and Environmental Justice Studies Hub at UMD funded by the Mellon Foundation. Her research projects are publicly engaged, with a clear problem of practice, and, more recently, have focused on issues of community-scale sustainable and just food systems.

Josalyn Thomas is a proud Mom-Preneur who wears many hats. Of all the roles she holds, being a mother is her favorite and it’s the one that makes her second profession even more meaningful. It’s the children she loves most.

Josalyn began her journey in childcare in 2007 at the childcare center located inside Roosevelt High School for teen parents. From that very first experience, she was hooked. She fell in love with the opportunity to be a child’s first teacher and embraced the responsibility of preparing young learners for their educational journey. She believes deeply in giving every child the tools, confidence, and foundation they need to walk into kindergarten ready, confident, and excited to learn.

After exploring different jobs and majors, Josalyn discovered that Early Childhood Education was where her true passion lived. In 2019, she proudly earned her diploma, certificate, and Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Determined to continue growing professionally, she went on to receive her Director’s Credential in November 2020.
Throughout the years, she has built strong partnerships with organizations such as Reading
Corps, Think Small, and Parent Aware, where her program holds a respected 3-star rating.
These collaborations reflect her commitment to maintaining high standards and providing quality early learning experiences.

Continuing her dedication to child development, Josalyn is currently completing her Montessori 3–6 training at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. With this next step in her journey, she plans to reopen this fall as a Montessori Farm-to-Table early childhood program in partnership with 20 Pastures Farm. This innovative program will blend authentic Montessori education with hands-on agricultural experiences, connecting children to the land, food systems, and the natural rhythms of growth.

In 2022, she expanded her passion for nurturing growth by publishing her book, Watch Me
Grow, a poetic and metaphorical tale that beautifully illustrates how children, like plants, grow into something extraordinary with patience, care, and love. Through the life cycle of a seed, children learn about resilience, responsibility, and the power of believing in themselves. The story reminds young readers that with a little water and a lot of love, anything can grow into greatness.

Josalyn remains committed to cultivating confident learners, strong foundations, and
environments where children are free to grow naturally and beautifully.

My Hocak name is MaZaaHeexWinga (Swan that dances before take-off) and my colonized name is Jill Greendeer. I am an enrolled citizen of Ho-chunk Nation, and Potawatomi and Kaw descendant. I am Deer Clan and have lived in the Twin Cities for over 20 years. As a Hocak hinuk (woman), Nani (mother), sister, and relative, my life purpose resides within the space of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is part of the bridge between Indigenous communities, Indigenous healing and empowerment, data/food sovereignty, cultural wellness, Indigenous representation in academia and healthcare. 

My life work and lived experience have prepared me for this role. I have experience working in academic, corporate, clinical, and community settings both within Native communities and outside of Indigenous societies. I have lived experience as an Indigenous woman in both urban and rural environments that adds to my diverse worldview and gives me a strong sense of grounded Indigenous narrative to pursue my life purpose of helping to heal and empower Indigenous people. My experiences pursuing a PhD at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing as an Indigenous woman allowed me to develop a heightened awareness of systemic racism and oppression. I recognize systemic racism and oppression are deeply embedded within healthcare and academia. Far too often, we see non-Indigenous people benefit at Indigenous communities’ expense when they are rewarded as leaders and advocates of diversity and equity. They often publish research articles and misrepresent, misinterpret, and misguide their ‘findings’ within Indigenous communities with adverse impacts on Indigenous communities. This experience gave my life deeper purpose and an urgent call to action. These opportunities allowed me to stand my ground, speak my truth, share my Indigenous lived experience, and find comfort in uncomfortable spaces, conversations, and initiatives. I am the Program Manager at Dream of Wild Health and Founder of Indigenous Visions Research and Wellness LLC. I understand that we all have tremendous work to do and cannot accomplish this alone. I hope to continue to network with others who want to uplift and empower diverse, and Indigenous voices and perspectives and see the value of protecting the sacred. 

Ka Zoua Berry joined the Food Group in June 2020 near the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic as Big River Farm’s education manager. She ran the education and Emerging Farmers Conference programming and then transitioned to be the Big River Farms Program manager and now the Farm Director. She has brought many changes that address sustainability and regenerative agricultural practices, climate smart strategies, long term land access needs, and building strong relationships with diverse community partners and members. 

Ka Zoua is also a farmer and has farmed with her parents since she was very little. She started a small scale farm in Maplewood with her husband and now 4 kids. She has a Masters of Exercise Science from Concordia University and Masters of Nutrition Education from American University. She believes that healthy foods and the ability to grow foods are an inherent right of the people. She is currently on the Advisory committee with Greater Twin Cities United Way’s Full Lives program and oversees all of the Food Group’s Sustainable Farm programs. Those programs include Big River Farms training program, Emerging Farmers Conference, New Hope Micro Farm, Sherburne County Agrisolar Farm as well as the Technical Assistance program that serve farmers across the state of MN. 

She loves to create new dishes, garden, fish, camp (anything outdoors!), and spend time with her family. She hopes to learn more about the policy world and wishes to build a better and more resilient food system for the new generations to come.

José Luis Villaseñor is the son of Mexican immigrant parents and the founder of Tamales y Bicicletas. José Luis works on food justice issues within his community of South Minneapolis. José Luis inspires and leans on urban farming and biking as tools for healing to decolonize our bodies, minds, and food systems. As an educator in radical outdoor pedagogy, he believes that cultural empowerment and the reclaiming of our Indigenous technologies are the pillars that strengthen our families and our communities. José Luis is also a father of three boys and a founding member of the South Side Bike Club.

Table talk presentation on seed rematriation. Seeds are particularly important to Indigenous people as a symbol of life. Learn about the growing Seed Rematriation movement and work to find, multiply, and return Indigenous seeds to their places of origin. In commercial agriculture, seeds are a commodity that can be manipulated, and they have greater value when made infertile. Jesikka & Shamira have inherited or been gifted seeds, and those seeds serve as a connection to past generations. Growing Indigenous varieties of corn, beans, and other crops to return to their cultures of origin (through the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance [NAFSA)] rematriation program). “You can’t have food sovereignty without seed sovereignty.”

Shamira Caddo is the current seed keeper at Dream of Wild Health. Shamira comes from the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Eastern Arizona, She currently resides in Saint Paul. 

Jessika Greendeer, who is a Ho-Chunk Nation tribal member from Baraboo, Wisconsin, currently works as a farm manager and seed-keeper on the Native-led Dream of Wild Health Farm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grows in her micro-farm in Hudson, Wisconsin, named “Little Sky’s Farm.” Though Greendeer uses the word “regenerative” when describing her farming practices, she and other Native growers are using it as a buzzword while practicing farming from an Indigenous perspective. That perspective comes from a history of not using heavy equipment and the humans in the system recognize they are stewards, not controllers, of the land.

Greendeer, a world-renowned seedkeeper who is a Ho-Chunk Nation tribal member from Baraboo. She is a ten-year US Army combat veteran and the recently-elected District 1 Ho-Chunk Legislator. She worked previously as the Agricultural Division Manager for the Ho-Chunk Nation. Now she tends a regenerative Seed Rematriation farm in Hudson called Little Sky’s Farm, where building soil is a top commitment with cover crops and compost. 

After serving during wartime in Afganistan and Iraq, Jessika recovered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by connecting with agriculture and specifically, with seedkeeping. She considers it her lifework to grow and protect our seed relatives, as well as to train and inspire future seed keepers. We cannot wait to hear her story and learn.

“Gathering our Seeds & Souls” is an experience for a circle of people to immerse themselves in a collection of story-dance-song offerings. These explore the cultural and generational healing roots of the Land-Art-Spirit healing justice mission of Diaspora Gardens. Circle members will help shape the practice of soft and vital skills for gathering and connecting self and community. These gatherings strengthen our roots for transitions and demanding seasons of growth.

Regina M. Laroche, farmer/storyteller/dancer/retreat leader, is founder of Diaspora Gardens, a Land-Art-Spirit practice rooted in regenerative relationships with land, community, and heritage.  She engages farming, arts, mentoring, and spiritual connection to repair, celebrate, and grow a future of justice and abundance. As the daughter of an Afro-Caribbean refugee and an African American sharecropper, a mother, sibling, and spouse, she is devoted to healing wounds of inequity and strengthening bonds of land, community, and ancestry. 

www.DiasporaOnMadeline.com

“The Seed Stories Oral History Project is the beginning of a community archive of historical accounts of East Phillips Neighborhood land stewards/gardeners/residents and their community driven efforts in building their own food systems through urban farms and food networks. This project was possible through the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute with Chino and Willa Bartholomay as the Food Justice Historians. This workshop will follow the interview process in Seed Stories, encourage attendees to talk about their journeys in food sovereignty, their re-connection to land as a relative, and talk about their hopes for the future of food sustainability. Additionally, attendees will participate in an art activity within the Seed Stories workbook while listening to the Seed Stories audio interviews.”

Seed Stories From East Phillips

Teya Chino – Chino is a descendant of the Nahua people from Itzucar de Matamoros, Puebla. They are the first generation in their family to be raised in Mni Sota Makoce. Before this position, Chino spent two seasons with Dream of Wild Health as a seed farmer, raising their sacred seed bundle and fostering a relationship with DWH’s 30 acre farm in Hugo, MN. Chino has deep roots in community organizing since their youth and base all their work around the collective liberation and wellness of ourselves and our plant and animal relatives. Chino is now the coordinator of the Indigenous Food Network for Dream of Wild Health and looks forward to bringing in their vision of building food networks and community building together. Chino firmly believes in fighting for our holistic sovereignty, starting with land, seeds, and foods along with  the power of storytelling and community. 

Willa Bartholomay comes from a line of German and Norwegian settler farmers and is in the midst of ancestral uncovering work. They grew up in Mni Sota Makoce and have been passionate about being connected to the roots and histories of this land. Willa is an artist, storyteller, and lover of listening. In their work they ask the question “what is collaborative storytelling”, this question has guided them to different communal art centered projects centered in the relationship between people and the land they take care of, where the materials used to storytell are from the growing spaces themselves. Previously, Willa worked at the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute as a Food Justice Historian and is currently helping to teach a Food Justice class at Ella Baker Elementary, while beginning at Hope Community as the Farm Program Assistant. Willa believes in the power of storytelling as a salve and motivator for collective healing and liberation and hopes to continue to create space for sharing and making from the Earth together.

Nonprofits are constantly pressured to grow fast. Appetite For Change offers a different perspective. In this session, Latasha Powell and Princess Titus show how to use trauma-informed practices that support a grassroots effort towards food justice and can guide organizational decisions, strengthen teams, and deepen impact—and why honoring capacity, slowing down, and sometimes scaling back has led to more sustainable growth over their 15 years. If you’re ready to redefine success beyond size or speed, this session will help you stay aligned with your values and be resilient for the long haul.

LaTasha Powell, AFC President & Co-Founder (She/Her) – Tasha leads Appetite For Change as President, guiding AFC’s members, programming, and path. She is a lifelong North Minneapolis resident and has been active in the local food justice movement, advocating for and giving back to her community. Tasha is passionate about food access and knowledge for Northside families. Tasha co-founded Appetite For Change in 2011 and has helped grow the organization from a $25,000 startup to a $2 million consortium of several programs. Prior to being appointed as President of the organization, Tasha served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer and has directed every facet of the programs. Tasha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Metro State University where she graduated Cum Laude and in 2017 was named the university’s Alumna of the Year

For your meetings, action-planning, follow-up convos, etc. Use this space as you need to throughout the weekend!

Farmers and Communities localizing food through resilient design – This workshop will consist of an active group food systems exercise, sharing a personal story about innovative ways to grow and gather food, localizing product and marketing efforts, and eating, then the workshop will move into smaller ‘sharing circles’ with one final all group activity to share values, insights, hopes and dreams. The theme of this workshop will be building a sustainable just food system that starts with an earthly understanding, practicing through creative regeneration, mitigating and adapting to the mounting challenges; degraded soil, climate change, energy, hunger, empty calories, finances, labor and power. Along with these challenges are so many examples of hope, integrity, ingenuity, ethics and love, key ingredients of a vibrant and healthy food system for all. Any short poem or song to share is encouraged? We grow together!

David Abazs and his wife Lise run Round River Farm. David had the opportunity to design and build Victus Farm, an aquaponics facility in Silver Bay, instigate, lead and manage the design and construction of the Wolf Ridge Farm and initiated the design and early building years of the North Shore AgroEcology Center, Finland MN. He transitioned five years ago from those farms to become the Executive Director of the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership at the University of Minnesota. David is a former UMN Endowed Chair in Agriculture Systems and authored the Western Lake Superior Food Capacity study and the Local Food as an Economic Driver study and continues research on Agrophenology. His greatest joy is his family, living connected to land, and imagining and leaning into a more just and sustainable country and world!