Minnesota Food Association

The mission of Minnesota Food Association (MFA) is to build a sustainable food system based on social, economic and environmental justice through education, training and partnerships.

We envision a community where:
• All people who desire to farm have the tools, knowledge, skills and access to resources necessary to be successful farmers.
• Organic and sustainable agricultural principles and practices are embraced and supported by both producers and consumers.
• All people eat organic, sustainably and locally produced food.

MFA provides a full range of educational programming about organic agriculture to beginning farmers and to all members of the community interested in learning more. Our unique approach uses the rich resources of a Certified Organic educational farm, located within 30 miles of the Twin Cities, to provide hands-on training, workshops, and other opportunities for people to engage in the lives of organic farmers and the production of the food they eat. Farmers enrolled in the training program are primarily immigrant and minority individuals, a population that is typically underrepresented in the organic farming community. Aspiring farmers can choose to participate in varying levels of our programming, based on their needs and level of commitment to farming. 

More recently, MFA has expanded it’s impact on food system reform beyond growing farmers to increasing access to healthy food and building up community and youth engagement in food and farming issues. In 2015, we will launch the Big River Farms Youth & Family Education Program, which will give kids and families a chance to learn about basic sustainable agriculture practices and meet real life farmers from our program. We are committed to leveraging our strong reputation as a pioneer in the field to lead our community into the next phase of building a strong and equitable local food system.

For more information on our programs or to find out how you can get involved, please visit our website at www.mnfoodassociation.org, or call our office at 651-433-3676.