Big River Farms (BRF) is a program of The Food Group, a nonprofit focused on fighting hunger and nourishing our communities.
BRF Program Manager KaZoua Berry’s life mission is to resolve hunger. As a certified health coach, she's taught people how to prepare and cook nutritious food. As a community organizer, she's helped people start community gardens in their backyard. And as a collaborator with Frogtown Farm in St. Paul, she began the practice of seed saving - collecting and saving annual seeds so that they can be replanted in future seasons. Currently, as BRF's Program Manager, she educates urban farmers how to grow food and manage independent farm businesses.
To resolve hunger, we need to center the conversation around food access. KaZoua explains, “Food is at the center of who we all are. I don’t want to just end hunger, I want people to eat nutrient dense food that nourishes their bodies and minds. It should be culturally relevant to them. It should also heal the land rather than cause further damage.”
KaZoua believes hunger is a food justice issue. “Food justice is when people can walk less than one mile and access affordable, nutrient dense, healthy fresh foods. It means that people can grow foods that are relevant to them and their community. It means farmers don’t have to compromise the food that they grow based on the income they will make.”
Providing food that is culturally connected and nutritious is crucial step towards strengthening and empowering our communities. KaZoua reminds us, “When people can connect to their culture through food it takes us away from that processed food and a conventional, commercial way of eating.”
By supporting local farmers, growers and producers, together, we are closing the gap on food inequities and creating better health outcomes for all.
