Every season, many of us spend countless backbreaking hours working on our lawns and gardens. But are our efforts actually harming the planet? Are we condemning our local flora and fauna and choosing instead flowers that are decorative, but also invasive and possibly poisonous to birds and other wildlife (not to mention our beloved pets)? If you want to get your yard in gear AND help the planet at the same time, we’ve got you covered! Continue reading

(By Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food & Farms Program Manager) Since December of 2022, NCAP has been spearheading an informal coalition of organizations with the goal of adding language from the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA) into the Farm Bill. While pesticides are often left out of the Farm Bill, we have successfully raised five priorities and continue to see engagement around them from Senate and House Agriculture Committee staff and PACTPA legislative champions. Continue reading

Why We Talk About the Climate Catastrophe at our Events (By Tommy Díaz, Healthy People & Communities Program Manager) In recent years, the climate crisis has become a more pressing issue and a bigger priority for us to address as an organization. It is vitally important to support the communities we serve to the best of our ability, which is why we’ve been increasingly including climate-related language in our outreach and programs. As we celebrate Earth Month during April it seems fit to bring up this topic and remind you as our followers and supporters about this urgent problem. Continue reading

Photo: NCAP's Ana Elisa Wilson and Tommy Díaz speak with a group of farm workers at the Migrant Education Program in Hermiston, OR. Why In-Person Events are Vital for our Farm Worker Education Project (By Tommy Díaz, Healthy People & Communities Program Manager) Our last community event in Hermiston gave us insight into the importance of NCAP’s Spanish programming in Central and Eastern Oregon. We had 68 Latine adults and over 50 children show up at the Migrant Education Program’s offices for our latest Plática Participativa. For our Spanish language programming this is an enormous milestone—we had more people than at any of our previous events! Continue reading

(By Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food & Farms Program Manager) The Senate Agriculture Committee plays a vital role in shaping the Farm Bill. In turn the Farm Bill is a package of legislation passed roughly once every five years that has a tremendous impact on farming livelihoods, how food is grown, and what kinds of foods are grown. Covering programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to healthy food access for low-income families, from beginning farmer training to support for sustainable farming practices, the Farm Bill sets the stage for our food and farm systems. Continue reading