Bari Zeiger

Bari is a young farmer, small business owner, community organizer, advocate, educator and lifetime student. At SUNY Geneseo, Bari studied Philosophy and Environmental Studies with a focus on agricultural ethics. There, she co-founded the Student Coalition for Migrant Workers and participated in grassroots organizing for farmworker rights.

Learning from mentors, Bari developed a deep passion for and knowledge of organics and permaculture at Heartstone Organic Farm (Dansville, NY), A Way of Life Farm (Bostic, NC) and Frost Valley YMCA Farm (Claryville, NY). Through the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture's (MESA) Applied Agroecology course, Bari learned about traditional, indigenous and peasant farming systems. She also developed a knowledge of local food procurement and preparation by working part-time as a prep cook at the Neversink General Store (Claryville, NY) and on the Early Bird Cookery (Callicoon, NY) catering team.

Bari is a member of National Young Farmers Coalition and is the Women's Affinity Representative of the organization's Federal Policy Committee. Additionally, Bari is the Farmer Representative on Northeast SARE's Executive Committee and has served on New England Grassroots Environmental Fund's Grantmaking Committee. Bari is also on the Board of Directors of Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and Unadilla Community Farm. Locally, Bari is an active member of the Good Food Buffalo Coalition.

Currently, Bari works with Providence Farm Collective and Cornell Cooperative Extension/TasteNY while Healing Poem Farm grows with the support of her partner, Sean, family and friends.

Bari is galvanized by the opportunity to build agrarian economies of collaboration and reciprocity, as well as community-level self-sufficiency, to engender ecological regeneration, social equity and financial viability. Bari similarly believes that the relationships we hold with Mother Earth, each other and the Self are connected and reflective of one another. This triad offers the opportunity for intra- and inter-personal, as well as ecological, healing.