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Jackson named Sustainable Woman of the Year Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Agri News staff writer
STILLWATER, Minn. -- The Women's Food and Agricultural Network started the Sustainable Woman of the Year award to recognize women who have worked hard promoting sustainable agriculture.
Dana Jackson of Stillwater is the first recipient.
The WFAN has worked since 1997 to link and empower women to build food systems and communities that are healthy, just and sustainable and that promote environmental integrity. Their founding member, Denise O'Brien, ran for Iowa secretary of agriculture in 2006.
Jackson has worked to make sustainable agriculture mainstream for about 30 years. In 1994, Jackson started working for the Land Stewardship Project. She is the senior program associate with the LSP's Community Based Food Systems and Economic Development Program.
She also is coordinator of the St. Croix River Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign.
"This is a program that is helping us aid in teaching the public the environmental and economic benefits of buying locally grown food in their local communities," said Jackson. "This program is in its second year and is just gaining momentum. This program is appealing and is helping connect consumers to locally grown and fresh foods."
Jackson hopes that eventually local restaurants and institutions will buy more items from local farmers.
Although Jackson didn't grow up on a farm, she has raised her children with large family gardens and some cattle.
"My children learned how to grow their own food," said Jackson. "They also learned the importance of working with the environment while growing their food."
Jackson also teamed with her daughter Laura Jackson, a biology professor at the University of Northern Iowa, to co-edit "The Farm as a Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems."
The collection of essays about nature and farming was written by Jackson, her daughter and several other contributors.
What the Jacksons realized through their own research was that farmers wanted a way to measure if farms were becoming more sustainable. That is where the idea of this book came about.
"We had met so many farmers who had improved habitat for the wildlife on their own farms just by the practices they were implementing," said Jackson. "The opportunities to co-exist with nature are there."
Jackson also has served on the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations such as the Kansas Rural Center, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture. Jackson is now on the Wild Farm Alliance, St. Croix River Scenic Coalition, and the governing council of the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, and is chairing the River Market Community Co-op.
The Wild Farm Alliance was formed in 1990 while Jackson and her daughter were in the process of writing their book. Jackson helped found this organization and is on the board.
"This organization is very important for trying to make a connection to food systems and ecosystems," said Jackson. "We work hard at promoting and educating people about that very importance."
Jackson is honored to receive the title of Sustainable Woman of the Year.
"I am proud of the work that WFAN does and has enabled me to do," said Jackson. "There are also a lot of good women farmers out there and it is very encouraging to me to see them managing, doing well É'' |
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