The proclamation was presented to CEO Dr. Truphena Choti at the Afrithrive Cultural Farm in Poolesville in the presence of several other small-holder farmers from Montgomery County.
“(I celebrate) The immigrant farmers and as the only immigrant farmer at the County Council I am very proud of you for (being able) to get things done and to give back to the community,” said Councilmember Fani-Gonzalez.
“You (Afrithrive) and others setting a good example makes me get really emotional because I am so proud.
“We arrive at this special place after a very long journey to help shape the future where we can increasingly rely on sustainable local food systems and that’s so key.”
Fani-Gonzalez, who represents District 6 in the Council, paid tribute to land owners who have offered their property for agricultural activities urging many others to take cue and support local food production.
On his part, Council Vice President Friedsen said: “We are celebrating this incredible program and it is absolutely appropriate that as an immigrant Councilmember that you (Fani-Gonzalez) be celebrating this program.
“I am grateful for the Countryside Alliance and for the Office of Agriculture for making this happen.”
On behalf of the farmers, Dr. Choti expressed her appreciation for the support of the different stakeholders in making local production of culturally-appropriate foods possible for the benefit of the systemically under-served communities.
“We are extremely humbled and honored to host Councilmember Andrew (Friedson) and Councilmember Gonzalez at our farm today,” said Dr. Choti during the short ceremony to present the proclamation.
“We are grateful to Montgomery County Council and all our partners and donors who have been so supportive of our programs thus far.
“We appreciate all the farmers that have joined us here today and we truly value all of you for being partners in the quest to have healthy food for our communities through urban gardening and other initiatives.”
Also present at the event was Jeremy Chris, the Director of the Office of Agriculture, who hailed the efforts by the Montgomery Countryside Alliance who have connected more than 600 land owners and interested farmers to boost the cultivation of culturally-appropriate foods under the land link program.
“This is a really tremendous opportunity to grow culturally-appropriate foods,” said Chris.
“The Office of Agriculture partnered with the Countryside Alliance on the bi-part resource guide because we have a lot of people farming and it’s exciting to see all the different products that are being grown.”
More than 30 farmers are participating in the farm-to-food bank program which launched the Covid-19 pandemic.
Manna Food Center Director of Programs Jenna Umbriac underscored the importance of access to safe, healthy nutritious food through making agricultural land available to farmers.
“To realize that vision, we need a robust, sustainable and resilient local food production system and that is why this program is so important,” she said.
Manna Food Center buys food directly from the farmers to supply to the different food banks as a way of ensuring the farmers get value for their produce.
“We also have a capacity-building grant program so that we can continue a more robust and resilient food system for many years to come.”
Among the farms represented at the event are Beauty Blooms Farm, Dodo Farms, Passion To Seed Garden and San Giovanni Farm, among others.
