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FEATURING INFORMATION ARTWORKS BY DOUGLAS GAYETON

Produced by Andrea Tinajero, Manny Cervantes, Nathan Harkleroad, Chris Brown, Laura Howard-Gayeton, and Chloe Cho

ALBA: Growing the Next Generation of Organic Farmers

Cultivando la Proxima Generación de Agricultores Orgánicos

Click to explore

  • 1 | Our Farm, Our Vision
  • 2 | The Farmers
  • 3 | The Opportunity
  • 4 | Stewarding the Land
  • 5 | The Business of Farming
  • 6 | The Dream
  • 8 | About The Lexicon

ALBA: Growing the Next Generation of Organic Farmers

Cultivando la Proxima Generación de Agricultores Orgánicos

Each year The Lexicon lends its support to a local organization doing exceptional work to build more equitable food systems.

In 2022 the Lexicon collaborated with ALBA to create CULTIVANDO LA PRÓXIMA GENERACIÓN DE AGRICULTORES ORGÁNICOS. The project shares inspiring stories of immigrant farmers who meld their cultural traditions with the principles of organic agriculture to create new livelihoods that support their families and enrich our communities.

c. 1973

The farm is purchased to start a strawberry cooperative owned and operated by farmworkers.

c. 1973
c. 1984

The Association of Community Based Education takes over the land with the goal of helping farmworkers to start their own farms.

c. 1984
1992

The farm is organically certified shortly after Congress passes the Organic Foods Product Act.

1992
1999

ACBE begins asset transfer to new organization.

1999
2001

ALBA is incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit.

2001
2002

ALBA’s first PEPA class graduates.

2002
2006

Patricia Carrillo, ALBA’s Executive Director, is first hired as an Administrative Assistant.

2006
2008

Housing crash causes drop in construction jobs leading to surge in program participation.

2008
2011

FarmLink begins providing micro-loans to ALBA’s farmers.

2011
2012

For the first time, ALBA’s farm is fully occupied by incubator farmers.

2012
2014

Kitchen Table Advisors founded to provide business coaching to small-scale organic farmers.

2014
2016

ALBA Organics, ALBA’s food hub, closes after 15 years of aggregating and marketing farmers’ crops.

2016
2018

Coke Farm rapidly expands marketing of ALBA incubator and alumni farmers’ crops.

2018
2020

New record for the number of start-up farms being incubated on our land. (40)

2020
2021

ALBA’s 20th Anniversary incubating farms and 400 graduates of the PEPA Course.

2021
2022

The farms’ 30th Anniversary of organic certification.

2022

Our Farm, Our Vision

On a 100-acre organic farm in the heart of the Salinas Valley, ALBA stands as a model for bringing about equity and sustainability in agriculture. ALBA’s innovative program helps establish medium-scale, organic family farm businesses, over 90% of which are owned and operated by farmers of color. In contrast, less than 20% of a declining number of American farms are medium-scale, just 7% of farms are minority-owned and under 2% are organic.

Based on over 20 years’ experience, we at ALBA believe that the hope for a resurgence of the mid-scale family farm – and the rural economy along with it – will rely on tapping into the talent and motivation of a younger, highly motivated and more racially diverse group of aspiring farmers, Latinos being prominent among them. Latino farmers represent 83% of farmworkers and 43% of the agricultural workforce, representing an immense pool of young farming talent. Empowering them to operate independent organic farms will at once advance equity, help restore the environment and strengthen local food systems.

Nuestra granja, nuestra visión

En una granja orgánica de 100 acres situada en el corazón del Valle de Salinas, ALBA se erige como modelo para lograr la equidad y la sostenibilidad en la agricultura. El innovador programa de ALBA ayuda a establecer empresas agrícolas familiares orgánicas de mediana escala, más del 90% de las cuales son propiedad y están gestionadas por agricultores de color. Por el contrario, menos del 20% de las cada vez más escasas granjas estadounidenses son de mediana escala, sólo el 7% de las explotaciones son propiedad de minorías y menos del 2% son orgánicas.

Basándonos en más de 20 años de experiencia, en ALBA creemos que la esperanza de un resurgimiento de la granja familiar a mediana escala -y de la economía rural junto con ella- dependerá de que se aproveche el talento y la motivación de un grupo de aspirantes a agricultores más jóvenes, altamente motivados y de mayor diversidad racial, entre los que destacan los latinos. Los agricultores latinos representan el 83% de los trabajadores agrícolas y el 43% de la mano de obra agrícola, lo que supone una inmensa reserva de jóvenes talentos agrícolas. En ALBA creemos que empoderarles para que practiquen la agricultura orgánica es clave para lograr el objetivo de una mayor equidad y sostenibilidad en la agricultura.

The Farmers

ALBA welcomes aspiring farmers from all backgrounds, but the majority of those who come to ALBA are Mexican immigrant farmworkers. Long hours of strenuous field work earn them less than $30,000 per season without job security or benefits. For lack of formal education and English skills, farmworkers are commonly referred to as ‘unskilled’ or ‘uneducated’, limiting their prospects. However, they have extensive agricultural experience, an incredible work ethic and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Standing in their way to advancement are a lack of access to training and resources to fully realize their potential.

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Los agricultores

ALBA acoge a aspirantes a agricultores de todos los orígenes, pero la mayoría de los que acuden a ella son trabajadores agrícolas inmigrantes mexicanos. Las largas horas de extenuante trabajo en el campo les remunera menos de $30,000 dólares por temporada, sin seguridad laboral ni prestaciones. Por carecer de educación formal y de conocimientos de inglés, a los trabajadores agrícolas se les suele denominar “no cualificados” o “sin educación”, lo que limita sus perspectivas. Sin embargo, tienen una amplia experiencia agrícola, una increíble ética del trabajo y un fuerte espíritu emprendedor. Lo que les impide avanzar es la falta de acceso a la formación y a los recursos necesarios para desarrollar plenamente su potencial.

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The Opportunity

ALBA recognizes farmworkers’ potential and invests in their pursuit of farm business ownership. The program starts with a 1-year course to educate participants on all aspects of organic farm management ranging from production to marketing to business management and compliance. Graduates of the course enter ALBA’s Organic Farm Business Incubator, where they launch and establish a farm enterprise over 4 years. In the incubator, aspiring farmers are offered subsidized access to land, equipment and technical assistance as their farms gradually take root and grow.

In addition, several partners provide business services to support our farms in the incubator and beyond. California FarmLink provides operating loans and finds land parcels for graduating farmers. Coke Farm markets and distributes the majority of ALBA farmers’ crops in the Bay Area and statewide. Kitchen Table Advisors provides tailored business consulting to farmers as they transition out of the program to independent operations.

La oportunidad

ALBA reconoce el potencial de los trabajadores agrícolas e invierte en su búsqueda de la propiedad de empresas agrícolas. El programa comienza con un curso de un año para formar a los participantes en todos los aspectos de la gestión de las granjas orgánicas, desde la producción a la comercialización, pasando por la gestión empresarial y el cumplimiento de las normativas. Los graduados del curso entran en la Incubadora de empresas agrícolas orgánicas de ALBA, donde ponen en marcha y establecen una empresa agrícola a lo largo de 4 años. En la incubadora se ofrece a los aspirantes a agricultores acceso subvencionado a tierras, equipos y asistencia técnica mientras sus granjas poco a poco echan raíces y crecen.

Además, varios socios prestan servicios empresariales para apoyar a nuestras granjas en la incubadora y más allá. California FarmLink concede préstamos de operación y busca parcelas de tierra para los agricultores que se gradúan. Coke Farm comercializa y distribuye la mayor parte de las cosechas de los agricultores de ALBA en la zona de la bahía y en todo el estado.Kitchen Table Advisors ofrece asesoramiento empresarial personalizado a los agricultores en su transición del programa a la actividad independiente.

Stewarding the Land

Using organic and conservation practices is essential to ALBA farmers’ success. Practices include planting cover crops and applying compost to increase organic matter in the soil, crop rotation to avoid soil disease, and the use of native hedgerows to provide habitat for beneficial insects and to protect against the wind and dust. On one hand these practices can improve yields and save farmers’ labor. On the other, they benefit the environment by building healthy soil, which prevents the loss of topsoil, sequesters carbon and lowers the need for irrigation.

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Administración de la tierra

El uso de prácticas orgánicas y de conservación es esencial para el éxito de los agricultores de ALBA. Las prácticas incluyen la plantación de cultivos de cobertura y la aplicación de composta para aumentar la materia orgánica del suelo, la rotación de cultivos para evitar enfermedades del suelo y el uso de setos autóctonos para proporcionar hábitat a insectos benéficos y proteger del viento y el polvo. Por un lado, estas prácticas pueden mejorar el rendimiento y ahorrar mano de obra a los agricultores. Por otro lado, benefician al medio ambiente al crear un suelo sano, lo que evita la pérdida de la capa superficial del suelo, retiene carbono y reduce la necesidad de riego.

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The Business of Farming

There is a lot more to learn about farm ownership than just farming. New farms must establish and maintain client relationships, forecast production and revenue, monitor cash flow and financing needs, all while maintaining organic and food safety certifications. To help them balance all these demands, ALBA works with longstanding partners which provide business services to our farms. California FarmLink provides operating loans and helps alumni farmers find land. Kitchen Table Advisors offers one-on-one business coaching to farmers as they transition from the program. And Coke Farm is one of the few for-profit distributors willing to market the crops of small-scale farmers. Other partners provide training and coaching in financial and digital Literacy among other management topics. Together, ALBA and partners form a cluster of services that drives farmers’ success.

El negocio de la agricultura

Hay mucho más que aprender sobre la propiedad de una granja que solo la agricultura. Las nuevas granjas deben establecer y mantener relaciones con los clientes, prever la producción y los ingresos, supervisar el flujo de caja y las necesidades de financiamiento, todo ello sin dejar de mantener las certificaciones orgánicas y de inocuidad alimentaria. Para ayudarles a equilibrar todas estas exigencias, ALBA trabaja con socios de larga trayectoria que prestan servicios empresariales a nuestras granjas. California FarmLink concede préstamos de operación y ayuda a los agricultores graduados de la incubadora a encontrar tierras. Kitchen Table Advisors ofrece asesoramiento empresarial personalizado a los agricultores durante la transición del programa. Y Coke Farm es uno de los pocos distribuidores con ánimo de lucro dispuestos a comercializar las cosechas de los pequeños agricultores. Otros socios ofrecen formación y asesoramiento en capacitación financiera y digital, entre otros temas de gestión. Juntos, ALBA y sus socios forman un conjunto de servicios que impulsa el éxito de los agricultores.

The Dream

For our participants, farming is less a job and more a way of life. Growing up farming with their parents and grandparents, the connection with the land and agriculture is strong. The dream for many is to farm with family using natural methods, cultivating herbs, berries and vegetables from seed to harvest. When they leave ALBA they typically farm on between 10 and 20 acres, gaining greater personal and economic freedom, while doing what they love.

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El sueño

Para nuestros participantes, la agricultura no es tanto un trabajo sino una forma de vida. Al haber crecido en la granja con sus padres y abuelos, la conexión con la tierra y la agricultura es fuerte. El sueño de muchos es cultivar en familia con métodos naturales, cultivando hierbas, bayas y hortalizas desde la semilla hasta la cosecha. Cuando salen de ALBA, suelen cultivar entre 10 y 20 acres, adquiriendo una mayor libertad personal y económica, al tiempo que hacen lo que les gusta.

About the Artist

Douglas Gayeton is an award-winning information architect, filmmaker, photographer, and writer. He directed the “Know Your Food” series for PBS and “Growing Organic” for USDA, “Molotov Alva” for HBO, and has authored two books, “Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town” and “Local: The New Face of Food & Farming in America.” He is also one of Crop Trust’s Food Forever champions and a visiting professor in the Master’s Program at Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy.

About the Lexicon

Douglas Gayeton and Laura Howard-Gayeton are founders of The Lexicon™, a US-based NGO that uses evidence-based storytelling, strategy, and mobilization to build impact movements tackling our food systems’ greatest challenges. Their initiatives include LEX ICONS™, a global visual language for agrifood systems; a place-based standard for the ecological benefits of regenerative ag; and a global platform for seafood sustainability and ecological benefits. Their work helps people pay closer attention to how they eat, what they buy, and where their responsibility begins for creating a healthier, safer food system.

Though ALBA incubates farms on-site, we rely on a number of partners to provide specialized business training and services:

California FarmLink provides operating loans to start-ups as early as their second year. As they transition from the farm, they help in finding land parcels and even finance land purchases.

Coke Farm has over 40 years’ experience growing and marketing organic produce, and now distributes the crops of over 100 farms, about half of which started at ALBA.

Kitchen Table Advisors consults farm owners on management and strategy, especially as they transition to their own land.

Together the partnership consortium has incubated and provided business services to over 300 small-scale organic farms, the majority of which are BIPOC owned. Our experience illustrates the talent and motivation to farm within immigrant and BIPOC communities.

We strongly believe that investing in this talent is key to bringing about a more economically vibrant, sustainable and equitable food system.

Sobre el Artista

Douglas Gayeton es un galardonado arquitecto de la información, cineasta, fotógrafo y escritor. Dirigió las series “Know Your Food” para PBS y “Growing Organic” para USDA, “Molotov Alva” para HBO, y es autor de dos libros, “Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town” y “Local: The New Face of Food & Farming in America”. Es también uno de los campeones de Food Forever de Crop Trust y profesor invitado en la maestría de la Universidad de Ciencias Gastronómicas de Slow Food en Pollenzo, Italia.

Acerca del Lexicon

Douglas Gayeton y Laura Howard-Gayeton son fundadores de The Lexicon™, una ONG con sede en Estados Unidos que utiliza la narración de historias, la estrategia y la movilización basadas en pruebas para crear movimientos de impacto que aborden los mayores retos de nuestros sistemas alimentarios. Sus iniciativas incluyen LEX ICONS™, un lenguaje visual global para los sistemas agroalimentarios; una norma basada en el lugar para los beneficios ecológicos de la agricultura regenerativa; y una plataforma global para la sostenibilidad y los beneficios ecológicos de los productos del mar. Su trabajo ayuda a las personas a prestar más atención a cómo comen, qué compran y dónde empieza su responsabilidad para crear un sistema alimentario más sano y seguro.

Aunque ALBA incuba granjas in situ, contamos con varios socios que nos proporcionan formación y servicios empresariales especializados:

California FarmLink concede préstamos de operación a las empresas de nueva creación a partir de su segundo año. Cuando dejan la granja, les ayudan a encontrar parcelas e incluso financian la compra de tierras.

Coke Farm tiene más de 40 años de experiencia en el cultivo y la comercialización de productos orgánicos, y ahora distribuye las cosechas de más de 100 granjas, aproximadamente la mitad de las cuales empezaron en ALBA.

Kitchen Table Advisors asesora a los propietarios de explotaciones agrarias sobre gestión y estrategia, especialmente en la transición a la propiedad de la tierra.

En conjunto, el consorcio de socios ha incubado y prestado servicios empresariales a más de 300 pequeñas explotaciones orgánicas, la mayoría de las cuales son propiedad de BIPOC. Nuestra experiencia ilustra el talento y la motivación para cultivar dentro de las comunidades de inmigrantes y BIPOC.

Creemos firmemente que invertir en este talento es clave para lograr un sistema alimentario económicamente más vibrante, sostenible y equitativo.

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We have no idea who grows our food, what farming practices they use, the communities they support, or what processing it undergoes before reaching our plates.

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To change that, we’ve asked experts to demystify the complexity of food purchasing so that you can better informed decisions about what you buy.

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Agrobiodiversity

Over half the world’s agricultural production comes from only three crops. Can we bring greater diversity to our plates?

Meat OS

In the US, four companies control nearly 85% of the beef we consume. Can we develop more regionally-based markets?

Single-Use Plastics

How can we develop alternatives to single-use plastics that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly?

Regenerative Agriculture

Could changing the way we grow our food provide benefits for people and the planet, and even respond to climate change?

Alternative Proteins

Can we meet the growing global demand for protein while reducing our reliance on traditional animal agriculture?

Food Packaging

It’s not only important what we eat but what our food comes in. Can we develop tools that identify toxic materials used in food packaging?

Featured

Explore The Lexicon’s collection of immersive storytelling experiences featuring insights from our community of international experts.

The Great Protein Shift
Our experts use an engaging interactive approach to break down the technologies used to create these novel proteins.

Regenerative Agriculture Principle 1

Ten Principles for Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture? We’ve developed a framework to explain the principles, practices, ecological benefits and language of regenerative agriculture, then connected them to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Food is Medicine

Food-related chronic diseases are the biggest burden on healthcare systems. What would happen if we treated food as medicine?

Fisheries

How can we responsibly manage our ocean fisheries so there’s enough seafood for everyone now and for generations to come?

Ecological Benefits

Mobilizing agronomists, farmers, NGOs, chefs, and food companies in defense of biodiversity in nature, agriculture, and on our plates.

Food Choices

Can governments develop guidelines that shift consumer diets, promote balanced nutrition and reduce the risk of chronic disease?

Aquaculture

Will sustainably raising shellfish, finfish, shrimp and algae meet the growing demand for seafood while reducing pressure on wild fisheries?

Lex Icons

How can a universal visual language to describe our food systems bridge cultural barriers and increase consumer literacy?

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Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF)

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Regenerative Agriculture and Ecological Benefits


What if making the right food choices could be an effective tool for addressing a range of global challenges?

Let’s start with climate change. While it presents our planet with existential challenges, biodiversity loss, desertification, and water scarcity should be of equal concern—they’re all connected.

Instead of seeking singular solutions, we must develop a holistic approach, one that channel our collective energies and achieve positive impacts where they matter most.

To maximize our collective impact, EBF can help consumers focus on six equally important ecological benefits: air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and carbon.

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Community of Experts

We’ve gathered domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations working at the intersection of food, agriculture, conservation, and climate change.

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About

The Lexicon™ is a California-based nonprofit founded in 2009 with a focus on positive solutions for a more sustainable planet.

For the past five years, it has developed an “activator for good ideas” with support from Food at Google. This model gathers domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations working at the intersection of food, agriculture, conservation, and climate change.

Together, the community has reached consensus on strategies that respond to challenges across multiple domain areas, including biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, food packaging, aquaculture, and the missing middle in supply chains for meat.

Lexicon of Food is the first public release of that work.

 

Agrobiodiversity

Over half the world’s agricultural production comes from only three crops. Can we bring greater diversity to our plates?

Meat OS

In the US, four companies control nearly 85% of the beef we consume. Can we develop more regionally-based markets?

Single-Use Plastics

How can we develop alternatives to single-use plastics that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly?

Regenerative Agriculture

Could changing the way we grow our food provide benefits for people and the planet, and even respond to climate change?

Alternative Proteins

Can we meet the growing global demand for protein while reducing our reliance on traditional animal agriculture?

Food Packaging

It’s not only important what we eat but what our food comes in. Can we develop tools that identify toxic materials used in food packaging?

Featured

Explore The Lexicon’s collection of immersive storytelling experiences featuring insights from our community of international experts.

The Great Protein Shift
Our experts use an engaging interactive approach to break down the technologies used to create these novel proteins.

Regenerative Agriculture Principle 1

Ten Principles for Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture? We’ve developed a framework to explain the principles, practices, ecological benefits and language of regenerative agriculture, then connected them to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Food is Medicine

Food-related chronic diseases are the biggest burden on healthcare systems. What would happen if we treated food as medicine?

Fisheries

How can we responsibly manage our ocean fisheries so there’s enough seafood for everyone now and for generations to come?

Ecological Benefits

Mobilizing agronomists, farmers, NGOs, chefs, and food companies in defense of biodiversity in nature, agriculture, and on our plates.

Food Choices

Can governments develop guidelines that shift consumer diets, promote balanced nutrition and reduce the risk of chronic disease?

Aquaculture

Will sustainably raising shellfish, finfish, shrimp and algae meet the growing demand for seafood while reducing pressure on wild fisheries?

Lex Icons

How can a universal visual language to describe our food systems bridge cultural barriers and increase consumer literacy?

Welcome to the “FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET” game!

This game was designed to raise awareness about the impacts our food choices have on our own health, but also the environment, climate change and the cultures in which we live.

First, you can choose one of the four global regions and pick a character that you want to play.

Each region has distinct cultural, economic, historical, and agricultural capacities to feed itself, and each character faces different challenges, such as varied access to food, higher or lower family income, and food literacy. 

As you take your character through their day, select the choices you think they might make given their situation. 

At the end of the day you will get a report on the impact of your food choices on five areas: health, healthcare, climate, environment and culture. Take some time to read through them. Now go back and try again. Can you make improvements in all five areas? Did one area score higher, but another score lower? 

FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET will help you better understand how all these regions and characters’ particularities can influence our food choices, and how our food choices can impact our personal health, national healthcare, environment, climate, and culture. Let’s Play!

The FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET game allows users to experience the dramatic connections between food and climate in a unique and engaging way. The venue and the game set-up provides attendees with a fun experience, with a potential to add a new layer of storytelling about this topic.

Starting the game: the pilot version of the game features four country/regions: Each reflects a different way people (and the national dietary guidelines) look at diets: Nordic Countries (sustainability), Brazil (local and whole foods instead of ultra-processed foods); Canada (plant-forward), and Indonesia (developing countries).

Personalizing the game: players begin by choosing a country and then a character who they help in making food choices over the course of one day. Later versions may allow for creating custom avatars.

Making tough food choices: This interactive game for all ages shows how the food choices we make impact our health and the environment, and even contribute to climate change.

FoodChoices-Sylvia-Groceries-Screen
FoodChoices-Sylvia-YesNo-Screen
FoodChoices-Sylvia-Drinks-Screen
FoodChoices-Sylvia-DinnerPlate-Screen
FoodChoices-Sylvia-CharacterDescription-Screen

What we eat matters: at the end of each game, players learn that every decision they make impacts not only their health, but a national healthcare system, the environment, climate and even culture.

ALBA

Application

We’d love to know more about you and why you think you will be a great fit for this position! Shoot us an email introducing you and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

Water Quality

Providing best water quality conditions to ensure optimal living condition for growth, breeding and other physiological needs

Water quality is sourced from natural seawater with dependency on the tidal system. Water is treated to adjust pH and alkalinity before stocking.

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Smallholder Farmer

Producers that own and manages the farm operating under small-scale farming model with limited input, investment which leads to low to medium production yield

All 1,149 of our farmers in both regencies are smallholder farmers who operate with low stocking density, traditional ponds, and no use of any other intensification technology.

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Worker Safety

Safe working conditions — cleanliness, lighting, equipment, paid overtime, hazard safety, etc. — happen when businesses conduct workplace safety audits and invest in the wellbeing of their employees

Company ensure implementation of safe working conditions by applying representative of workers to health and safety and conduct regular health and safety training. The practices are proven by ASIC standards’ implementation

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Community Livelihood

Implementation of farming operations, management and trading that impact positively to community wellbeing and sustainable better way of living

The company works with local stakeholders and local governments to create support for farmers and the farming community in increasing resilience. Our farming community is empowered by local stakeholders continuously to maintain a long generation of farmers.

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Frozen at Peak Freshness

Freezing seafood rapidly when it is at peak freshness to ensure a higher quality and longer lasting product

Our harvests are immediately frozen with ice flakes in layers in cool boxes. Boxes are equipped with paper records and coding for traceability. We ensure that our harvests are processed with the utmost care at <-18 degrees Celsius.

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Deforestation Free

Sourcing plant based ingredients, like soy, from producers that do not destroy forests to increase their growing area and produce fish feed ingredients

With adjacent locations to mangroves and coastal areas, our farmers and company are committed to no deforestation at any scale. Mangrove rehabilitation and replantation are conducted every year in collaboration with local authorities. Our farms are not established in protected habitats and have not resulted from deforestation activity since the beginning of our establishment.

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Natural Feed

Implement only natural feeds grown in water for aquatic animal’s feed without use of commercial feed

Our black tiger shrimps are not fed using commercial feed. The system is zero input and depends fully on natural feed grown in the pond. Our farmers use organic fertilizer and probiotics to enhance the water quality.

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Increased Biodiversity

Enhance biodiversity through integration of nature conservation and food production without negative impact to surrounding ecosysytem

As our practices are natural, organic, and zero input, farms coexist with surrounding biodiversity which increases the volume of polyculture and mangrove coverage area. Farmers’ groups, along with the company, conduct regular benthic assessments, river cleaning, and mangrove planting.

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THE TERM “MOONSHOT” IS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE an initiative that goes beyond the confines of the present by transforming our greatest aspirations into reality, but the story of a moonshot isn’t that of a single rocket. In fact, the Apollo program that put Neil Armstrong on the moon was actually preceded by the Gemini program, which in a two-year span rapidly put ten rockets into space. This “accelerated” process — with a new mission nearly every 2-3 months — allowed NASA to rapidly iterate, validate their findings and learn from their mistakes. Telemetry. Propulsion. Re-entry. Each mission helped NASA build and test a new piece of the puzzle.

The program also had its fair share of creative challenges, especially at the outset, as the urgency of the task at hand required that the roadmap for getting to the moon be written in parallel with the rapid pace of Gemini missions. Through it all, the NASA teams never lost sight of their ultimate goal, and the teams finally aligned on their shared responsibilities. Within three years of Gemini’s conclusion, a man did walk on the moon.

FACT is a food systems solutions activator that assesses the current food landscape, engages with key influencers, identifies trends, surveys innovative work and creates greater visibility for ideas and practices with the potential to shift key food and agricultural paradigms.

Each activator focuses on a single moonshot; instead of producing white papers, policy briefs or peer-reviewed articles, these teams design and implement blueprints for action. At the end of each activator, their work is released to the public and open-sourced.

As with any rapid iteration process, many of our activators re-assess their initial plans and pivot to address new challenges along the way. Still, one thing has remained constant: their conviction that by working together and pooling their knowledge and resources, they can create a multiplier effect to more rapidly activate change.

Picture of Douglas Gayeton

Douglas Gayeton

Co-Founder
THE LEXICON

Picture of Michiel Bakker

Michiel Bakker

Vice President
Global Workplace Programs
GOOGLE

Eligibility, Submission Terms and Conditions

Sponsor

A Greener Blue Global Storytelling Initiative is sponsored by The Lexicon, a US based 501(c)(3) public charity.

Opportunity

Storytellers will join A Greener Blue Storytelling Collective to create stories for the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture with the FAO and its partner organizations. Members of the Collective will take part in a private online “Total Storytelling Lab” led by The Lexicon’s Douglas Gayeton. Upon completion of this online certificate program, members of the Collective will join seafood experts from around the globe in creating A Greener Blue Storytelling initiative.

Terms

Who can enter and how selections are made.

A Greener Blue is a global call to action that is open to individuals and teams from all over the world. Below is a non-exhaustive list of subjects the initiative targets.

  • Creatives and storytellers with a passion for food and the willingness to support small-scale fisherpeople and experts worldwide. This category includes, but is not exhausted in photographers, videomakers, illustrators, podcasters, and writers.
  • Food Activists working to change open sea fishing and aquaculture; 
  • Members of fishing and indigenous communities that support their communities, share their stories and protect their way of life;
  • Local and International NGOs work every day with actors across the whole value chain to create more sustainable seafood models.

To apply, prospective participants will need to fill out the form on the website, by filling out each part of it. Applications left incomplete or containing information that is not complete enough will receive a low score and have less chance of being admitted to the storytelling lab.

Nonprofit organizations, communities of fishers and fish farmers and companies that are seeking a closer partnership or special support can also apply by contacting hello@thelexicon.org and interacting with the members of our team.

Special attention will be given to the section of the form regarding the stories that the applicants want to tell and the reasons for participating. All proposals for stories regarding small-scale or artisanal fishers or aquaculturists, communities of artisanal fishers or aquaculturists, and workers in different steps of the seafood value chain will be considered.

Stories should show the important role that these figures play in building a more sustainable seafood system. To help with this narrative, the initiative has identified 10 principles that define a more sustainable seafood system. These can be viewed on the initiative’s website and they state:
Seafood is sustainable when:

  • it helps address climate change
  • it supports global ecosystems
  • it optimizes impact on resources and nutrient cycles.
  • it promotes a safe growing environment for safe food sources.
  • it advances animal welfare.
  • it enhances flavor and nutrition.
  • it builds resilience and self-sufficiency in local communities.
  • it prioritizes inclusion, equality, and fair treatment of workers.
  • it preserves legality and the quality and the story of the product throughout the value chain.
  • it creates opportunities along the whole value chain.

Proposed stories should show one or more of these principles in practice.

Applications are open from the 28th of June to the 15th of August 2022. There will be 50 selected applicants who will be granted access to The Lexicon’s Total Storytelling Lab. These 50 applicants will be asked to accept and sign a learning agreement and acceptance of participation document with which they agree to respect The Lexicon’s code of conduct.

The first part of the lab will take place online between August the 22nd and August the 26th and focus on training participants on the foundation of storytelling, supporting them to create a production plan, and aligning all of them around a shared vision.

Based on their motivation, quality of the story, geography, and participation in the online Lab, a selected group of participants will be gifted a GoPro camera offered to the program by GoPro For A Change. Participants who are selected to receive the GoPro camera will need to sign an acceptance and usage agreement.

The second part of the Storytelling Lab will consist of a production period in which each participant will be supported in the production of their own story. This period goes from August 26th to October 13th. Each participant will have the opportunity to access special mentorship from an international network of storytellers and seafood experts who will help them build their story. The Lexicon also provides editors, animators, and graphic designers to support participants with more technical skills.

The final deadline to submit the stories is the 14th of October. Participants will be able to both submit complete edited stories, or footage accompanied by a storyboard to be assembled by The Lexicon’s team.

All applicants who will exhibit conduct and behavior that is contrary to The Lexicon’s code of conduct will be automatically disqualified. This includes applicants proposing stories that openly discriminate against a social or ethnic group, advocate for a political group, incite violence against any group, or incite to commit crimes of any kind.

All submissions must be the entrant’s original work. Submissions must not infringe upon the trademark, copyright, moral rights, intellectual rights, or rights of privacy of any entity or person.

Participants will retain the copyrights to their work while also granting access to The Lexicon and the other partners of the initiative to share their contributions as part of A Greener Blue Global Storytelling Initiative.

If a potential selected applicant cannot be reached by the team of the Initiative within three (3) working days, using the contact information provided at the time of entry, or if the communication is returned as undeliverable, that potential participant shall forfeit.

Offering

Selected applicants will be granted access to an advanced Storytelling Lab taught and facilitated by Douglas Gayeton, award-winning storyteller and information architect, co-founder of The Lexicon. In this course, participants will learn new techniques that will improve their storytelling skills and be able to better communicate their work with a global audience. This skill includes (but is not limited to) how to build a production plan for a documentary, how to find and interact with subjects, and how to shoot a short documentary.

Twenty of the participants will receive a GoPro Hero 11 Digital Video and Audio Cameras by September 15, 2022. Additional participants may receive GoPro Digital Video and Audio Cameras to be announced at a later date. The recipients will be selected by advisors to the program and will be based on selection criteria (see below) on proposals by Storytelling Lab participants. The selections will keep in accordance with Lab criteria concerning geography, active participation in the Storytelling Lab and commitment to the creation of a story for the Initiative, a GoPro Camera to use to complete the storytelling lab and document their story. These recipients will be asked to sign an acceptance letter with terms of use and condition to receive the camera. 

The Lexicon provides video editors, graphic designers, and animators to support the participants to complete their stories.

The submitted stories will be showcased during international and local events, starting from the closing event of the International Year of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 in Rome, in January 2023. The authors of the stories will be credited and may be invited to join.

All selection criteria

Storytelling lab participation:

Applicants that will be granted access to the storytelling Lab will be evaluated based on the entries they provided in the online form, and in particular:

  • The completeness of their form
  • The relevance of their story (coherence with the main goal of the initiative and 10 principles)
  • Written motivation explained
  • Geography (the initiative aims at showcasing stories from all over the world so the mix of locations will be a factor that the selection committee will take into account)
 

Applications will be evaluated by a team of 4 judges from The Lexicon, GSSI and the team of IYAFA (Selection committee).

When selecting applications, the call promoters may request additional documentation or interviews both for the purpose of verifying compliance with eligibility requirements and to facilitate proposal evaluation.

Camera recipients:

Participants to the Storytelling Lab who will be given a GoPro camera will be selected based on:

  • Quality of the story (coherence with the initiative and the 10 principles)
  • Motivation demonstrated during the interaction in the online class
  • Participation in the online class (participants that will attend less than 4 classes will be automatically excluded)
 

The evaluation will be carried out by a team of 4 judges from The Lexicon, GSSI and the team of IYAFA (Selection committee).

Incidental expenses and all other costs and expenses which are not specifically listed in these Official Rules but which may be associated with the acceptance, receipt and use of the Storytelling Lab and the camera are solely the responsibility of the respective participants and are not covered by The Lexicon or any of the A Greener Blue partners.

All participants who receive a Camera are required to sign an agreement allowing GoPro for a Cause, The Lexicon and GSSI to utilize the films for A Greener Blue and their promotional purposes. All participants will be required to an agreement to upload their footage into the shared drive of The Lexicon and make the stories, films and images available for The Lexicon and the promoting partners of A Greener Blue.

Additional Limitations

Selection and distribution of the camera is non-transferable. No substitution or cash equivalent of the cameras is granted. The Lexicon and its respective partners and representatives are not responsible for any typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of the Initiative, including, but not limited to, errors in any printing or posting or the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of any selected participant, or the distribution of any equipment. Any attempt to damage the content or operation of this Initiative is unlawful and subject to possible legal action by The Lexicon. The Lexicon reserves the right to terminate, suspend or amend the Initiative, without notice, and for any reason, including, without limitation, if The Lexicon determines that the Lab cannot be conducted as planned or should a virus, bug, tampering or unauthorized intervention, technical failure or other cause beyond The Lexicon’s control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest. In the event any tampering or unauthorized intervention may have occurred, The Lexicon reserves the right to void suspect entries at issue.

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