Cultivating Civic Ecotones for Food Justice
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Date
2019-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ohio State University. Office of Outreach and Engagement
Abstract
To educate students about access to healthy food, food production, and the prevalence of food insecurity, many higher education institutions have dedicated parcels of land to community gardens where students and local partners join in the fight for food justice. We will share best practices for developing a comprehensive Campus Food Justice Initiative based on experiences engaging students and community members in civic ecotones, including: cultivation of a community garden (a repurposed brownfield); student management of a campus resource center and food pantry; and development of service-learning opportunities for food justice. In civic dialogues, participants will examine five key strategies for campus food justice initiatives while mapping out future directions for their campuses: 1) respect for the production of food; 2) commitment to education; 3) protection of natural resources; 4) guarantee of shared access; and 5) cultivation of civic competencies.
Description
To educate students about access to healthy food, food production, and the prevalence of food insecurity, many higher education institutions have dedicated parcels of land to community gardens where students and local partners join in the fight for food justice. Food justice, as defined by the advocacy organization Just Food, is characterized by "communities exercising their right to grow, sell and eat healthy food" (Johnson 2014). Food justice is part of a human rights framework for the amelioration of food insecurity that requires us to "respect, protect, and fulfill the right to food" (Chilton and Rose, 2009). Some institutions have working farms that supply fresh produce to local pantries and their own dining services. These intentional learning landscapes are examples of a civic ecotone, an "intermediary place where participants dismantle the boundaries between community and campus to create a highly interactive environment for civic engagement and a renewed sense of collective responsibility" (Gilbert 2013). In these spaces, learning is literally grounded in a rich philosophy of place-based education to remind us of the significance of embodied knowing, cultural contextualization, and connectedness. Researchers have noted the importance of students moving into local gardens to provide opportunities for critical thinking, interactions with marginalized communities, and sensitization to issues of power and privilege (Gray, et. al, 2012). We will share best practices for developing a comprehensive Campus Food Justice Initiative based on eight years of engaging students and community members in civic ecotones, including: cultivation of a community garden (a repurposed brownfield); student management of a campus resource center and food pantry; and development of service-learning opportunities for food justice. In civic dialogs, participants will examine five key strategies for campus food justice initiatives while mapping out future directions for their campuses: 1) Respect for the production of food: teaching principles of gardening and growing food that is needed, healthy, will not go wasted, and is desired by local food-insecure residents; 2) Commitment to education: serving as a place-based educational site for university students, youth, pantry clients, and gardeners; 3) Protection of natural resources: practicing sustainability to ensure that the land is being used responsibly: soil testing for both safety and growing conditions, and monitoring wells in adjacent wetlands to address agricultural run-off; 4) Guarantee of shared access: developing partnerships with multiple organizations to provide access to land and opportunities for youth, seniors, adults with disabilities, and marginalized neighbors who manage plots and harvest their own food; 5) Cultivation of civic competencies: learning to be stewards of local food production and distribution from regional advocates at food banks and other justice-based nonprofit organizations.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Melissa Gilbert, associate dean, Otterbein University, mgilbert@otterbein.edu (Corresponding Author); Stacey Rusterholz, assistant director, Otterbein University.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Melissa Gilbert, associate dean, Otterbein University, mgilbert@otterbein.edu (Corresponding Author); Stacey Rusterholz, assistant director, Otterbein University.
Keywords
food justice, community gardening, brownfield restoration, service-learning, campus pantry
Citation
Engaged Scholars, v. 7 (2019).