WCC member Jerry Neri from Grand Junction (front row, far right) and Organizer Rachel Zatterstrom (middle row, 4th from right) participated in a regional meeting to plot the course for changing the way we think about agriculture.

Western Colorado Congress is teaming up with grassroots, family farm groups in ten neighboring states to explore how we can build our power and challenge the “Dominant Narrative” in agriculture.

Corporate agribusiness is running roughshod on our politics, our food system, our health and our communities. In part, this is because the “dominant public narrative” (or common belief) about agriculture reinforces the idea that large scale, corporate, industrial food production is the only way we can feed a hungry world.

Our communities pay a heavy price for this narrative: genetically modified organisms (GMOs), super weeds, diet-related diseases, factory farming, land grabs, and the loss of viable family farming operations.

Over the years our network has had some big wins through strong organizing campaigns, but overall we’re losing ground to corporate agribusiness.

This fall, WCC will bring 15-25 members together with community allies for a pair of meetings on the Western Slope. At these meetings, we’re going to look at how the dominant narrative about agriculture impacts us, and begin the important work of shifting the narrative as a new way to build our power and take back control of our food & farming systems.

Fresh on the heels of a powerful training on dominant narrative work, which he attended along with WCC organizer Rachel Zatterstrom in Minneapolis, here’s what WCC member Jerry Neri had to say:

“I have spent decades working to improve the world of agriculture, but this is one of the few times I have seen people come together in an attempt to do something bigger than the average “I, me, mine” and move to the “we, us, everyone”. I can’t wait to unleash this powerful new tool in our community.”

Participants will be introduced to an exciting new way to think about our organizing work and learn how we can work together to achieve major change in local, regional, and national food & farming policy.

The first “Dominant Narrative” meeting is on Sunday, September 8 in Delta, with a second in early November. Participants are asked to commit to attend both meetings. Space is limited. If you’d like more information or to request a spot at the table, please contact Rachel at (970) 256-7650 or rachel(at)westerncoloradoalliance.org.