The Delaware Industrial History Initiative (DIHI) is under way. The goal of DIHI is to document--digitally--Delawareans' experiences with industrialization and industrial decline. DHF has made grants available for such digitization projects, supported in part by the "We the People" program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The following project was granted funding by DHF in 2010:

Grantee and Project Name:

• Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village,
  Your Food, Our Farms: Transitions in Delaware's Diverse Agricultural Industry

Purpose:

The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village will explore the cycle of change in the dynamic and ever-responsive agribusiness world. These changes include giant farming industries, like poultry, as well as the return to the small farms of the past in the form of U-picks, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) and small-scale cattle producers. Farming defines rural life and culture, and as food producers, farmers are forever connected to all of us as consumers. Beginning with the first settlers, agriculture has played an integral part in Delaware's history, from the cottage industries and small farms that dominated in the past to the giant, integrated agricultural industries that rule today. A dramatic loss of open land to development and urbanization has led to significant alterations in the farming industry, with farmers adapting to changes in markets, availability of resources and consumer needs. "Your Food, Our Farms" will illustrate the history and current significance of farming through an exhibit, website and educational materials, and will preserve and relate this essential Delaware story with a digital archive.

Technological Elements:

• Digital archive

Target Population:

• General public, specifically scholars and aspiring historians
• All DIHI projects, ideally, will be integrated in school and university curricula (not only as a source for teachers, but also as the product of student assignments, e.g., oral histories)
  
  

For more information on the Delaware Industrial History Initiative, click here or contact Program Officer Catherine Homsey at (302) 657-0650 ext. 14.