Cary Junior Champions Cooperative Models at Change Food Fest to Transform Local Food Systems
By Shakavon Thomas| May 7, 2025
Keynote at Change Food Fest Lays Blueprint for Equitable Food Networks
At the 2016 Change Food Fest in New York City, Cary Junior, General Manager of the Southeast Michigan Producers Association (SEMPA), delivered a groundbreaking keynote titled “Creating a Local Food System,” advocating for decentralized, community-driven solutions to address systemic inequities in agriculture. His presentation highlighted the urgent need to empower small-scale, underserved farmers through cooperatives, food hubs, and direct-to-consumer models—a vision that has since inspired nationwide initiatives to reclaim food sovereignty.
The Crisis of Concentration: Land and Power in the Food System
Junior opened with stark statistics: 2% of Americans control 66% of U.S. farmland, while six corporations dominate half of retail food sales. This concentration, he argued, marginalizes small farmers and exacerbates food insecurity in urban centers like Detroit, where 59,000 jobs depend on a $5.8 billion food economy.
Structural Inequities
Land Loss: Small farmers face barriers like high taxes, generational succession gaps, and limited credit access, leading to farm closures and land sales to developers.
Market Pressures: Independent growers struggle to compete with industrial-scale pricing and volume demands, often leaving harvests underutilized.
SEMPA’s Cooperative Model: A Case Study in Resilience
Founded in 2014, SEMPA unites seven African American farmers managing over 1,000 acres near Detroit. Their cooperative model pools resources to invest in shared infrastructure—cold storage, packing kitchens, and transportation—while democratizing governance to amplify members’ bargaining power.
Achievements
Urban-Rural Partnerships: SEMPA’s collaboration with Detroit’s urban farm cooperative supplies fresh produce to 5,000 households annually through mobile markets and CSA programs.
Economic Impact: The cooperative generates over $2 million in annual farm revenue, stabilizing income for aging farmers (average age: 68) while addressing food deserts.
Innovative Solutions: Food Hubs, Mobile Markets, and CSAs
Junior emphasized scalable strategies to bridge gaps in traditional supply chains:
Food Hubs as Aggregators
Centralized hubs streamline produce collection, quality control, and distribution to institutions like schools and hospitals, reducing logistical fragmentation813. For example, Michigan’s Cherry Capital Foods saw 45–50% annual sales growth by connecting regional farms to restaurants and retailers.
Direct-to-Consumer Models
Mobile Markets: Retrofit vehicles sell fresh produce in underserved neighborhoods, bypassing costly retail leases.
CSA Programs: SEMPA’s 150-household pilot provided upfront capital for farmers while fostering consumer engagement through workshops and cooking demos.
Policy and Partnerships: Building a Supportive Ecosystem
Junior called for multi-stakeholder collaboration to sustain local food systems:
Government and Philanthropic Roles
USDA Grants: Programs like the Local Food Promotion Program fund infrastructure such as cold storage and food hubs.
Municipal Policies: Detroit’s food policy council incentivizes urban agriculture zoning and local procurement.
Cross-Sector Coalitions
SEMPA partners with healthcare systems and universities to integrate local produce into patient meals and research projects, raising awareness of food justice.
Audience Impact and Legacy
Junior’s data-driven roadmap resonated widely:
78% of attendees planned to adopt cooperative models in their communities13.
Media coverage amplified SEMPA’s success, inspiring similar efforts in Cleveland and Milwaukee.
By 2025, SEMPA expanded its mobile fleet and launched a permanent food hub, reflecting the enduring relevance of Junior’s 2016 proposals.
Broader Trends: Local Food Movements Gain Momentum
Food Hub Growth: USDA reports a 60% increase in certified food hubs since 2012, driven by consumer demand for traceable, sustainable food.
Equity Focus: Initiatives like the National Black Growers Council replicate SEMPA’s cooperative frameworks, framing food sovereignty as a human right.
Cary Junior’s vision at Change Food Fest underscored that localized food systems are not just economic engines but pathways to equity. As organizations like Taste the Local Difference® amplify consumer education and policy advocacy, the movement’s success hinges on collective action—prioritizing people over profits.
“Empowered communities can reshape how America grows, distributes, and consumes food,” Junior asserted. The challenge now lies in scaling these models to ensure fresh, nutritious food becomes a universal right—not a privilege.
Learn more about local food initiatives at
SEMPA Farms Official Website
https://www.sempafarms.org
Michigan State University - College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
https://www.canr.msu.edu
Change Food Fest 2016 Event Page
https://ittakesaregion2019.sched.com
USDA Economic Research Service (Food Hubs Data)
https://www.ers.usda.gov
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Program
https://www.sare.org
Michigan Ag Today (Policy and Agricultural News)
https://www.michiganagtoday.com
Taste the Local Difference® (Consumer Education Platform)
https://www.localdifference.org
ScienceDirect (Technological Innovations in Agriculture)
https://www.sciencedirect.com
X (Formerly Twitter) - Social Media Amplification
https://twitter.com
Whole Healthy Group (Change Food Fest Organizers)
https://www.wholehealthygroup.org