Steam Onward

Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance (UCFA) is raising funds to support our BIPOC*-led seed and food sovereignty programs (under Steam Onward, a Maryland-based 501c3 organization). Ujamaa arose as a response to food insecurity in our communities which was worsened by COVID. Our collective strives to improve access to healthy, sustainably-grown food, promote and advance equity, and conserve and make available culturally meaningful seeds. 
 
Our successes so far include:

-Launching Ujamaa Seeds, including an online store, in January 2022.

-Hosting multiple workshops, trainings, and special events (e.g. Sorghum Harvest Festival). 

-Developing hands-on experiential youth programs, working with students from various high schools and universities.

-Collaborating with the Heirloom Collard Project to advance our favorite green.

-Partnering with the University of Vermont on a major USDA-funded grant project.

As we move forward, your support will help us continue to develop and grow one of the few BIPOC-led seed companies in the US, with the potential to address deep and longstanding inequities in our industry.

*BIPOC stand for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

UCFA MISSION

Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance (UCFA) is a collective of emergent and seasoned growers who cultivate heirloom seeds and grow culturally relevant plants for food, healing, and textiles.

 

UCFA recognizes the need for increased diversity in farming and the seed industry, and the need to provide more opportunities and support for growers from historically oppressed and marginalized communities. To this end, the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance is working to bridge the gap between prospective growers and seed companies.

 

As a community of creatives, UCFA includes growers, makers, teachers, and bakers. We are committed to the collection, preservation, advancement, and dissemination of agricultural and environmental practices that will benefit and sustain current and future generations.

 

UCFA supports a healthier way of living for our youth and adults through agriculture. UCFA utilizes environmentally sustainable practices for gardening and farming that will support a more nutritious diet and a more active lifestyle.