12 individuals are chosen for the sustainable and climate-smart agriculture award.
By AB Wire
An Indian American farmer is among the 12 achievers chosen by the White House for the Champions of Change for sustainable and climate-smart agriculture award.
Anita Adalja, who is currently working as a manager at the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, will receive the honor in an event to be held at the White House on October 26.
The 12 individuals are being recognized by the White House for their exemplary leadership in supporting change in their communities through innovation in agricultural production and education, a White House statement said.
Their efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving environmental conditions and growing local economies are considered for the award.
Adalja is the Farm Manager at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, which works in the Washington, DC metro area to create a more equitable and sustainable food system through increasing food access, sustainable farming, farmer training and farm-to-school education.
Under Adalja’s management, Arcadia Farm grows thousands of pounds of naturally grown produce that is then sold in low or no food access areas in Washington, DC, through their mobile farmers’ market program.
Before turning into farming, Adalja was a social worker in Brooklyn, NY, where she worked with formerly homeless, mentally ill adults in a supportive housing facility. There, she co-founded a rooftop farm on top of the building, which transformed her work.
“My commitment to food access, food justice and community building was solidified through this experience.
“From there, I threw myself into farming by attending an apprenticeship program at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems in Santa Cruz, CA. I haven’t looked back since”, Adalja said in a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) blog.
On what motivates her into farming work, she said, “On a challenging 95 degree day in the middle of summer, knowing that these vegetables are going to folks who need and appreciate them and into communities that have been intentionally ignored for political, racial and socio-economic reasons motivates me to grow more, and to grow better”.
The other champions include: William “Buddy” Allen – Tunica, Mississippi; Keith Berns – Bladen, Nebraska; Larry Cundall – Glendo, Wyoming; Herman “Trey” Hill – Rock Hall, Maryland; Loretta Jaus – Gibbon, Minnesota; Martin Kleinschmit – Hartington, Nebraska; Jennifer “Jiff” Martin – Storrs, Connecticut; Jesus Sanchez – Fresno, California; Erin Fitzgerald Sexson – Rosemont, Illinois; Timothy Smith – Eagle Grove, Iowa; and Donald Tyler – Beech Bluff, Tennessee.