The Values That Undergird Our Work

• We value home grown leadership that represents the truth and legacies of building racial equity
• We value the healing power of food as a way to revitalize Mississippi communities in a time of dynamic change
• We value and support food sovereignty as a vehicle for individual and community self-determination
• We value collective courage as a strategy to responsibly and justly impact and scale food systems
• We value the fundamental right of all Mississippians to have access to fresh food, clean air, non toxic water and soil, safe environments and liveable wages
• We value food traditions and we support a sound investment in curating the culinary legacies as part of the sacred generational responsibility to document truth
• We value Mississippians and support the affordability and accessibility of healthy fresh food for all
• We value Mississippi farmers and food producers and support their deserving of fair pricing for local food production
• We value labor and support living wages, non-exploitative and non-extractive work space policies that allow for the thriving of the working class communities
• We value ethical stewardship of all natural resources, living beings and the restorative navigation of air, water, land, flora and fauna
• We value the health of the planet, the health of living beings and therefore support equitable investments in developing the culture of health in our communities
• We value human stewardship of the ecosystem, and therefore support ethical treatment of animals that are part of our food cycles

Our beliefs, values, and principles to transform Mississippi Food Systems were developed collaboratively by the Mississippi Food Justice Collaborative partners, including NCAT Gulf States, the Mississippi Food Policy Council, Mississippi Farm to School Network, Mileston Cooperative, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Boat People SOS, Hijra House, and FoodCorps Mississippi.