For more than 30 years, the Organic Trade Association’s mission has been to promote and protect organic with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace. While we work to grow organic and achieve excellence in agriculture and commerce, protect the environment, enhance community well-being, it is clear to us that food systems and social injustices are deeply linked. Based on our experiences and feedback from our members, we are making a conscious effort to ensure that our successes in growing the organic movement do not unintentionally perpetuate social inequalities. We accept our social responsibility in helping shape a more inclusive agricultural future for the good of the organic market and our communities.
2022 Diversity Initiative Report
Our goals are geared towards building industry, community, and individual capacity for collaborative actions, that empower all people to exercise the right to healthy and sustainable food. We are committed to bringing into focus the social inequalities that have been allowed to lay blurry around of edges of the organic movement. In order to realize our vision, we must address the inequities that prevent all people and communities from benefitting from organic food and farming. Therefore:
- We commit to diversifying our membership to include food justice organizations and influencers. We will extend complimentary memberships to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned farms and businesses.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR DIVERSITY & ENTREPRENEURSHIP FUND
- We launched a Diversity Resource Library to encourage trade association members, and the organic community at large, to diversify their content, conferences, supply chains, and marketing efforts.
VISIT THE DIVERSITY RESOURCE LIBRARY
- We are establishing a two-year engagement plan for new BIPOC members that focuses on meaningful engagement and retention.
- We are establishing a Council of members focused on Food Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within the organic industry, charged with exploring a range of broad endeavors dedicated to this work.
JOIN THE COUNCIL
- We commit to amplifying diverse voices by prioritizing BIPOC leaders to give keynote presentations, speak on panels, and attend our signature policymaking event, Organic Week in Washington, D.C.
CONNECT WITH US AT UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS
- We actively seek out and engage with BIPOC farmers through our Farmers Advisory Council and regional farming associations to shape our Farm Policy positions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT FAC
- We prioritize racial diversity in our Board of Directors nomination and within our hiring processes.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- We seek strategies for food and environmental justice in our work on Climate Change to combat systemic racism and social inequities in the food system.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CLIMATE COMMITMENTS
- We provide Calls to Action for our members to actively participate in building a diverse, equitable, and more inclusive agricultural economy
CONNECT WITH OUR LEGISLATIVE STAFF - We conduct ongoing self-examination, with respect to power dynamics and any assumptions, biases, underlying views, goals, of our commitments.
SHARE FEEDBACK WITH OUR STAFF
If you have any questions about this work or would like to get involved, please contact us.