We are excited to announce that we will have a Latino Track at this year’s Cultivating Cooperative Roots Conference!
We have scholarship funding, apply today!
Latino Track Details:
Latino Economic Development Center, an RCDG funded Cooperative Development Center, is organizing a series of workshops targeted towards Latino immigrants to promote cooperative development as a vehicle for low income community members to transition from low wage exploitive employment to business ownership and economic and social equity.
On Friday we are offering a series of workshops organized around case studies of successful immigrant efforts that have enabled immigrants to overcome barriers to development by organizing cooperatives. All of the sessions that comprise the Latino Track are open to all conference attendees.
Friday, February 5th
10:00-11:30am
Agricultural Co-ops: Beyond the Farm – Javier Gonzalez, Jaime Villalaz, Rodrigo Cala, Aaron Blythe, and Pakou Hang
Panel Discussion: Farm incubator cooperatives – Learn more about the Agua Gorda Cooperative experience beginning as a micro-farm in 2012 and growing to purchase a 54 acre farm of their own in 2015.
Marketing cooperative – Presentation by Rodrigo Cala, Co-president of Shared Ground Farmers’ Cooperative and Aaron Blythe, Shared Ground staff
Farmland ownership cooperative association – Presentation by Pakou Hang, Hmong American Farmers Association, describing 155 acre HAFA farm with 20 individual Hmong farmers.
11:30am-1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm-3:00pm
The Benefits of Worker Cooperatives – Vanessa Branson and John Flory
Panel Discussion: An overview of the founding and success of janitorial and apparel production worker cooperatives in several states. (Communication, Governance)
3:30pm-5:00pm
Cooperative Public Markets – John Flory and Nathan Teske
Panel Discussion: Presentation by John Flory of Latino Economic Development Center describing Cooperativa Mercado Central in Minneapolis, a Latino market that opened with 47 micro businesses in one building 16 years ago. Also, hear from Nathan Teske describing the Portland Mercado which opened in Portland, Oregon in 2015.
