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A presentation given by Sharon Lezberg and Nicodemus Ford at the National Urban Extension Conference, 5/2013, titled "Developing Cultural Competencies for Food Systems Work: Lessons from Detroit". We present a food systems framework and discuss working in Detroit.
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Developing Cultural Competencies for Food Systems Work: Lessons
from DetroitJeffrey Lewis
Nicodemus FordSharon Lezberg
National Urban Extension Conference, May 2013
Community & Regional Food Systems Project
We promote the development of equitable and sustainable Community and Regional Food Systems that provide healthy food for all community members
Supported by the
United States Department of AgricultureNational Institute of Food and Agriculture
USDA Award 2011-68004-30044
A collaboration of
University of Wisconsin-MadisonGrowing Power
University of Wisconsin-ExtensionMichael Fields Agricultural Institute
Wayne State Universityand numerous community partners
Project Components• Education
– high school: PEOPLE program– college: internships– graduate: practicums
• Outreach– training– products– community engagement
• Research– CRFS framework– city studies– community-based research
• community engagement projects• innovation fund projects
• Community Engagement– Coordination of healthy food
collaboration– Evaluation of program
success– Development of Indicators– Research to support
programs• Advocacy
– Education about policy initiatives
Food System Framework
Food System Framework
System Environment: Economic, Social, and Biophysical Components
Food System Framework - Values
These values are adopted from “Whole Measures for Community Food Systems” from the Community Food Security Coalition
Food Systems Framework - Relationships
Detroit
• Largest concentration of African Americans in the country.
• The city’s lost nearly 200,000 residents.
• In 1950, Detroit was the fifth largest city. Since its lost 60 percent of its population.
• One in three residents live in poverty.
The Detroit Food System
• The capacity for large-scale production is here with 20 square miles (12,800 acres) of vacant space in Detroit. Researchers at MSU have reported that Detroit land has the capacity to fulfill most of the produce needs of Detroit’s population — finding that nearly 76 percent of vegetables and 42 percent of fruits consumed in the city could be supplied from as little as 2,086 acres of land.
Detroit Food Policy Council . Detroit Food System Executive Summary, 2012-13
CRFS Project in Detroit
• Developing a MOU with the Uprooting Racism Planting Justice organization.
• Responsible for co-designing Monitor and Evaluation tools.
• Monitoring and Evaluation tools should both build capacity and assist
• Essential to continue to learn and understand both the context and meaning
What we are learning through our work in Detroit
• The process evolves over time. We could have planned for this – directed it – by being really intentional about the time of observation, listening, and learning.
• Honor the wisdom of the community: The knowledge of community residents is deep and wise. Listen to it, learn from it, allow this wisdom to guide action.
• Share power and decision-making. Allow the community to define the issues and interpret meaning. Encourage the co-creation of projects and learning
• Create opportunities for co-authorship of project outputs and presentations
Allow time for relationships to develop
If you can, spend time observing, listening and learning through a full cycle of the community’s life and work.
“Use protracted and thoughtful observation rather than prolonged and thoughtless action. Observe the site and its elements in all seasons. Design for specific sites, clients, and cultures.”Hemenway. Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture.
Understanding a community food system requires asking questions about what is truly valued: What kind of community do we want to live and work in?
Whole Measures for Community Food SystemsAbi-Nader et. al., 2009
On the Threshold of Partnership and Collaboration
Spending time in the community . . .
… in a thoughtful and intentional way
. . . to develop relationships - without an agenda
Food Justice
“How do we elevate this idea of food justice to an idea that it’s a violation universal human rights? In other words, how do we connect this struggle in Detroit to the same struggle that is in developing countries around the world? How do we see the movement in Detroit connected to a larger movement?”- Nicodemus Ford
Food Sovereignty
Detroit is a rich place full of cultural and social history. How are these social histories – various social and cultural movements – formative and important to the identities, strategies, and vision of Detroiters?
Self-DeterminationFood Sovereignty includes control over the resources of production
Web-site: http://www.community-food.org/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crfsproject
Contact usJeffrey Lewis: [email protected] Ford: [email protected] Lezberg: [email protected]
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