Rich and Kakeena presenting at the first Statewide Forum on Nutrition Security
SCLT staff brought critical frontline experience to Rhode Island’s inaugural Nutrition Security Forum, held March 10, where City Farm Steward Rich Pederson and Food Program Coordinator Kakeena Castro participated in a panel discussion examining the real-world effectiveness of our state’s food access programs.
The panel, which focused on the end-to-end user experience in Rhode Island’s current food access landscape, provided a unique opportunity for SCLT to elevate the voices and experiences of those we serve daily. Castro and Pederson shared insights from years of direct work with communities, farmers, and food access partners.
During the forum, Castro detailed the comprehensive support SCLT provides: “Our Farmer Training and Produce Aggregation Programs support farmers in a number of ways. We help farmers from production to distribution. Farmers are applying for small grants and we help them with that. We help improve infrastructure at the farms. We help farmers attend workshops to learn more about pest management, soil health, cover cropping.”
Castro also highlighted SCLT’s 20-week distribution program, explaining, “During the season, we’re purchasing produce from farmers and we’re distributing it to families who are nutrition insecure, through one of our food access partners.” This model creates what Pederson aptly called “hyperlocal commerce,” strengthening community food systems while addressing immediate nutritional needs.
One of the most impactful aspects of SCLT’s work, as Castro emphasized, is breaking down barriers for immigrant farmers: “It’s been very impactful for the farmers, especially with the language and technology barriers, we really are able to sit side by side with them and help them navigate the food system so that they can benefit from the money in the local food system that larger producers have access to.”
Castro, right, and Pederson after the panel discussion
The forum served several critical purposes: increasing awareness and understanding of current fruit and vegetable programs; comparing Rhode Island’s approaches to regional and national models; and highlighting program impacts on economic health, environmental sustainability, and participant wellbeing. With federal nutrition assistance programs facing unprecedented threats, this dialogue couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.
The connections forged at this inaugural forum will help strengthen the coalition of organizations working to ensure Rhode Islanders have reliable access to nutritious food. As policies and programs evolve, SCLT will continue advocating for solutions that address the root causes of food insecurity while building more resilient local food systems that serve our communities where they are.
