Food Justice Programs Sprout Up

Hi All,

I am writing after an inspiring tour I took last Thursday to the Edible Schoolyard Project – a pilot program for many ideas in practice surrounding food justice, environmental justice, and even social justice. What started as a vision of Alice Waters, chef and food activist alike, was soon established as one of the first garden and cooking programs in the public school systems in California, servicing Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. They have integrated a unique curriculum into student’s daily activities, in order to teach them about food system, past and present, and a wide variety of other topics and skills including nutrition, teamwork, and environmental sustainability. They are funded primarily through federal grants and private donations, however, the pairing together of private and public sector is what I found most intriguing. A program like this is often supported by the communities and even the local and state governments (who distribute these grants), however, the execution very much relies upon the individual community members to make it happen, reminding me of the separation between food access and environmental sustainability issues and the need for non-government organizations to fill these roles.

Still, on a positive note, programs such as this have been springing up all across the United States, serviced by NGO’s and NPO’s alike, to try and tackle these same issues. Often times, programs will target disadvantaged youth, low-income communities, and those without access to food, whether by proximity, income, or education. Many of them even engage indirectly or directly with politics, activating for more affordable, proximal, and sustainable food sources. For example, Edible Schoolyard often catalyzes petitions and works towards reform in a very outspoken way, whereas another organization, The Mountain Garden Initiative, in Kentucky is more indirectly tackling the health and obesity and diabetes epidemics in a low income community. (See blog post here:  http://edibleschoolyard.org/project-blog/2013/01/30/garden-start-rachel-manning-and-hilary-neff)

It is really interesting to study the different approaches each organization takes based on their location, resources, problems, and needs of their own communities. As part of my work this summer, I will be interning with another local organization, City Slicker Farms in West Oakland – yet another organization tackling this similar problem of food access in low-income areas. Eager to learn more, I am venturing to find and compare different organizations working on these issues to see which are most effective and progressive, and perhaps where they can be improved or altered. For any food justice junkies, if you have any leads, feel free to post them here! Thank you!