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Community Alliances of Interdependent AgriCulture (CAIA) works to enable people to create food and farming systems that improve and sustain ecological, economic, and social health through community-based, self-organizing governance. CAIA advocates three primary goals: environmental integrity, economic opportunity and commercial vitality. CAIA's partners nationwide utilize a local organizing model that requires the active participation and collaboration of all food system stakeholders, from workers and farmers to food processors, distributors, consumers, and environmentalists

CAIA currently has two member community alliances, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Association and Michigan Integrated Food and Farming Systems.

Purpose of CAIA

To enable people to create food and farming systems that improve and sustain ecological, economic, and social health through systemic, community-based, self organizing governance.

Principles of CAIA

The deeply held values and beliefs articulated in the Principles below are what evolved over three years of intensive work by people committed to the Purpose.

CAIA Principles of Organization:

WE BELIEVE healthy organizations are diverse, self organizing, living systems. Therefore:
  1. Each and every part of CAIA shall be open to any individual or institution that fully subscribes to the Purpose and Principles.
  2. All participants shall have the right to organize in any manner, at any scale, in any area, and around any issue or activity which is relevant to and consistent with the Purpose and Principles.
  3. All participants shall openly and honestly share knowledge and methods essential to realization of the Purpose in a manner which has minimal impact on confidentiality or competitive position.
  4. All decisions shall be made and all functions performed at the point closest to the area or issue of concern.
  5. Decisions and deliberations must be made at every level by bodies and methods that fairly represent the diversity of affected views and interests and are not dominated by any single view or interest.
  6. Money and other resources shall flow to and be prudently used at the point closest to the area of issue of concern which best supports the Purpose and Principles.
  7. Conflict can and should be constructively, creatively, and cooperatively resolved, without resorting to social, ecological, economic or personal violence.
  8. All participants shall use their best efforts to advance the Purpose in accordance with the Principles in ways which enhance the capacity of CAIA, as well as that of each participant.
CAIA Principles of Practice:

WE BELIEVE that all people, across generations, are inextricably linked to and interdependent on one another, and their social, ecological and economic systems, and we are accountable for the effects of our decisions on future generations. Therefore:
  1. Individuals and their institutions and each generation shall return to their communities fair measure for what they receive.
  2. The right to dignity, liberty, autonomy and well being of each and every individual, institution and community should be honored, enhanced and sustained.
  3. Participants should engage in mutual learning that will deepen their respect for and trust in one another and the understanding and appreciation of food and farming systems.
  4. We must conceive of, evaluate and implement wholly new forms of ownership, financial systems and measurements that do not attempt to monetize all values or lead to gross maldistribution of wealth and power or degradation of people.
  5. We must understand, evaluate and account for the true cost of everything removed from or returned to the earth, the biosphere or the atmosphere.
  6. We must understand, evaluate and account for wholly new, non-monetary forms of ownership in intangible things such as learning, intellectual capital, life experiences, community, beliefs and principles.
  7. The health and economic well being of every community is dependent on ample and equitable generation, retention and circulation of capital.
  8. We acknowledge that individual and institutional racism does exist and commit to be vigilant in eradication of both conscious and unconscious behaviors that exclude minorities from being full partners in CAIA and society.
  9. Extracted substances from the Earth must not systematically increase in the biosphere.
  10. Substances produced by human society must not systematically increase in the biosphere.
  11. The productivity and diversity of the Earth itself must not systematically be physically deteriorated.
  12. Human needs must be met with fair and efficient use of energy and other natural resources.
  13. We acknowledge that social, economic and ecological health cannot be achieved without personal consciousness leading to wholeness of mind, body and spirit.
  14. We encourage practices, behaviors and uses of technology that are consistent with the Purpose and Principles and discourage practices, behaviors, and uses of technology that are inconsistent with the Purpose and Principles.


Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

The Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA) is a group of fishermen, conservationists, educators, resource managers and others who are determined to improve current marine resource management in the Northwest Atlantic region. NAMA's purpose is to restore and enhance an enduring Northwest Atlantic Marine System supporting a healthy diversity and abundance of marine life and human uses through a self-organizing and self-governing organization.

NAMA uses a self-organizing institutional design it created in partnership with The Chaordic Alliance to weave together its diverse participants into "Community Alliances," "Regional Alliances" and "Community of Interest Alliances". These Alliances will work together to resolve issues and create opportunities at local, state and regional levels in ways that reflect and further their shared purpose and principles.

The first years of NAMA's existence were spent developing common ground among opposing factions within the New England fisheries. NAMA is now operational and is engaged in activities such as:

  • Managing local conflict over fisheries issues;
  • Acting as a facilitator for conference about fisheries;
  • Coordinating disbursements of federal disaster funds aimed at providing relief for losses due to declining fish stocks;
  • Linking researchers with fishermen and their vessels for hire.

NAMA exemplifies how chaordic organizing principles can apply to systemic resource management issues by helping all relevant and affected parties find innovative solutions in a manner that all judge to be more trustworthy and equitable.

Michigan Integrated Food and Farming System

MIFFS is a collaborative effort to create and support more sustainable food and agriculture systems for producers and consumers in Michigan. Agricultural productivity, economic viability, environmental protection, resource efficiency, and strong communities are all important goals of MIFFS.

MIFFS supports Sustainable Agriculture

  • By supporting community based models which demonstrate the feasibility of new sustainable ideas and technologies. Fifteen innovation projects, created and operated by teams of farmers and others, currently exist.
  • By building leadership capacity within urban and rural communities, empowering producers and consumers to make informed choices.
  • By identifying and addressing barriers to the creation and adoption of more sustainable food and farming systems (e.g. public policy, institutional, economic, cultural, social barriers).
  • By sharing the ideas and experiences of the model innovation projects and a statewide Collaboration with those who want to learn more.

MIFFS Supported Projects Include:

Connecting Common Ground For Youth (Muskegon Co.)

This team is creating a cultural and experiential urban - rural youth exchange program to promote understanding of different ways of life and to educate a new generation that values the natural resource base on which our food supply depends.

Detroit Growers Cooperative (Detroit)

This team will create a support network for emerging urban agricultural projects in metro Detroit. They will also develop a pilot community project to grow and direct market organic produce and a barbecue sauce.

Envirothon -- Adding a Sustainable Agriculture Component (Statewide)

This team is developing and implementing a sustainable agriculture module for the Michigan Envirothon, a state-wide, hands-on competition for high school students.

Expanding Sustainable Agriculture...Through Precision Farming (Branch and Calhoun Co.)

This team is developing a network of farmers and agricultural service providers to experiment with and evaluate site specific farming systems, and the way additional information affects management decisions farmers make.

Farmers Egg Coop (Ingham Co.)

This team is creating a farmer driven egg cooperative, offering small farmers an opportunity to diversify their operations.

Growing and Marketing Food Locally (Ingham Co.)

This team is creating a community supported agriculture project and on-farm learning center in Mason and Leslie.

Innovative Farmers of Huron County (Huron Co.)

This team is working to help farmer and business members of IFHC share their project's experiences and is networking with budding groups who want to explore the IFHC model.

Intensive Rotational Grazing (Statewide)
This team is helping form local grazing networks throughout Michigan. Farmers teach each other and non-farmers about IRG, which can improve long-term economic stability and protect natural resources.

Livestock Manure Composting (Muskegon and Newaygo Co.)

This team is working to test cost efficient, environmentally safe methods of on-farm composting using livestock manure and on- and off-farm carbon sources. They also want to help foster understanding and connections between farmers and non-farmers.

Policy Project (Statewide)

This team is working to help MIFFS Innovation Projects and Collaborators build their capacity to take a leadership role in integrated food and farming systems policy at many different levels. The team is also working to strengthen the overall MIFFS capability to inform policy.

Protecting Farmlands From Urban Sprawl (Washtenaw Co.)

This team is exploring and educating communities about strategies that protect farmland and open space from non-farm development, particularly Purchase of Development Rights (PDR).

Regeneration Project (Washtenaw Co.)

This team wants to involve its local community in regenerating a worn-out 40 acre parcel of farmland. Community garden plots, educational workshops and permaculture approaches to land use will model agricultural biodiversity and economic self-sufficiency.

Project Greenfields (Grand Traverse & Neighboring Counties)

This team's goal is to lay groundwork for a regional agricultural plan that will improve the financial health of area farms, increase the diversity of farm production, encourage preservation of important farmland and create a group to develop and implement the plan.

Stewardship Plan for Water Quality (Barry Co.)

This team is working to develop and implement a model farm stewardship plan to protect water quality and other natural resources for a commercial cash crop/livestock farm in Barry County.

 


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