Diana Martinez, Founder of Cultivating Justice will share some lessons learned about food justice, urban farming, and community action at the Miller Street Community Farm
Thursday, January 16th, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
@Conspiracy, 350 Main St, Middletown, CT
Diana Martinez, Founder of Cultivating Justice will share lessons learned from the Miller Street Community Farm and how it has increased the social capital for families within the long underserved Miller/Bridge Street area of Middletown, CT’s Northend neighborhood.
The Miller Street Community Farm is sustained through donations from individual people, local businesses, and foundation grants. The day to day land stewardship and animal husbandry is held by the local residents from the neighborhood and residents across the City. Monthly meetings are led with area residents and Cultivating Justice members to plan events and activities. The City of Middletown has provided grass cutting and land care services that has greatly helped keep access to the farming projects open.
In Sept 2023 through meetings with Cultivating Justice and the City of Middletown's staff we brought public water access back to the land. This has provided fresh water for not only Cultivating Justice projects but also other residents who have growing projects in the area who can access water for their crops when needed. This past May 2024, we installed a large barn-style shed for storing and protecting the farming supplies, and added security cameras that are monitored by Cultivating Justice members.
Miller Street Community Farm Projects
Honeybee Apiary
Chicken Keeping
Two raised grow beds
Civic Engagement
The Farm Fund
RSVP for the Cultivating Justice Monthly Meeting
Diana Martinez is a committed and proven community leader. She started Dee Crafty Bees and began farming with the goal of creating pathways to agriculture that are sustainable, affordable, practical for families, and accessible to everybody. Securing a land lease with the City of Middletown for a public city park has increased the social capital for families in one of the most historically marginalized neighborhoods in Connecticut.