Progress 09/01/21 to 04/25/25
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audiences for this project includes: (1) Spelman undergraduate students interested in pursuing a food studies minor, graduate school, and/or careers in the food/agricultural sciences; (2) graduate students and faculty at UGA who are (or plan to be) mentors to undergraduates/graduates in food/agricultural sciences; and (3) faculty, staff, and students at other institutions interested in developing similar collaborations/programs targeting students and/or faculty. Changes/Problems:The only change to report is our early termination due to changing priorities of the incoming administration. This change cut our work short during our final year. [NOTE: In the products section, I have marked two peer reviewed publications and 'other publications' for two reasons: (1) the NAL system has disabled new user registration so I cannot submit publications to the system. I have reached out to NAL, REEport, and the program officer for help but have not received specific guidance. (2) the AHUM publication has been accepted, but is not yet in final form and has not received a DOI, so I cannot fill in this field.] What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project is focused on training and professional development targeting undergraduates at Spelman College and graduate students / faculty at the University of Georgia. Because these opportunities are directly related to our project objectives, they are described in detail above. In addition, this project has provided significant training and professional development for a UGA graduate assistant hired on the project. These opportunities include mentored co-development of the professional development curriculum used for multiday workshops offered to UGA faculty, staff, and students in 2023 and 2024; mentored co-development of a workshop and scholarly presentation targeting faculty/trainees from other institutions presented at an international conference in 2024; mentored data collection and analysis for project evaluation and initial manuscript development. Additional professional development opportunities include tailored mentoring for undergraduates in independent research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As we describe above, we have disseminated information related to mentorship and food systems pedagogy via professional development workshops offered to faculty/graduate students at UGA. We have completed two peer-reviewed publications related to work on this project: The first (Garth et al., 2025) published in Culture, Agriculture, Food, and Environment reviews the process of building a multi-sited oral history collaboration focused on farming/gardening praxis in Black and Indigenous communities in the US Southeast and Appalachia. The second (Park et al., forthcoming) examines the critical reflections of faculty and trainees participating in professional development activities. This manuscript has recently been accepted to Agriculture and Human Values. PI Thompson has also disseminated information about our project model in presentations to several departments across UGA and at national/international professional meetings. And we have further disseminated knowledge about our project model through a co-developed workshop at the 2024 annual meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Association/Associate for the Study of Food in Society, targeting faculty and graduate students interested in developing equitable, cross-institutional collaborations like our own. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1.We established a strong learning community of Food Scholars at Spelman College. This objective was motivated by data indicating significant underrepresentation among Black students pursuing degrees in the food and agricultural sciences. At the same time, the National Academies of Sciences identified Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions as underutilized resources for strengthening the US scientific workforce. Since the initiation of this project, Spelman College's Food Studies program has welcomed three cohorts of Food Scholars (total: 26 students), 16 of whom have completed their studies and graduated. At last count, seven students have been accepted into graduate programs or careers related to the food and agricultural sciences at institutions such as the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy, the University of Manchester's Masters in Creative Writing (focusing on food writing), Columbia University's Masters in Sustainability Management, and Howard University's MFA in Film (focusing on food film). Throughout each academic year, Food Scholars volunteered in Spelman College's historic Victory Garden (which this project has helped to revitalize)--cultivating eighty-four species of African Diasporic crops, medicinal herbs and berries, native perennials, and food crops, which are harvested for a local food pantry serving food insecure students. Over the course of this project, Food Scholars also participated in annual cross-cultural food systems experiential learning trips and monthly enrichment workshops and colloquia that focus on food and agricultural topics of interest to students--including seed starting and seed saving workshops, mycelium and mushroom growing workshops, herbalism and tea blending workshops, urban agricultural symposium, etc. 2. We expanded knowledge and initiated a community of practice among food systems faculty and future faculty at UGA through experiential learning and professional development in mentorship and food systems pedagogy. This objective was motivated by evidence that good mentoring supports student persistence and success in college and graduate school, and that there is a need for additional professional development to support faculty and future faculty in their mentoring and teaching. Over the course of this project, we organized seven professional development opportunities (totaling over 56hours), which engaged 40UGA faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. Evaluation of three of these professional development workshops forms the basis of a peer-reviewed manuscript recently accepted to Agriculture and Human Values. Each semester, we also facilitated activities, workshops, and colloquia to engage food systems faculty and students in topics of interest and foster a sense of connection among them. Examples of these activities include participation in the Heirloom Collards Project (growing ultracross collards, harvesting and distributing produce and seed, and hosting a field day), film screenings followed by roundtable discussions, and seminars focused on agriculture and social movements in both Argentina and St. Helens, South Carolina. We have also engaged graduate students in thinking about food system sustainability, security, and resilience through annual experiential learning trips to Sapelo Island, Georgia. 3.We have built a strong firm foundation for on-going collaboration and systems change through scholarly exchange between faculty and students in both programs. This objective was motivated by existing research indicating that effective cross-institutional partnerships benefit students and bring value to both institutions. Yet, effective cross-institutional partnerships require significant effort to establish and sustain common ground. To accomplish these objectives, we engaged in a wide range of cross-institutional activities. First, we held regular (e.g., monthly or quarterly) internal advisory committee meetings among project leadership. These regular meetings enabled relationship building, as well as project planning, coordination, brainstorming, evaluation, and eventually for manuscript development. Annually, each institution facilitated at least two cross-institutional workshops/ seminars that engaged students and faculty at both institutions (e.g., UGArden farm visit, Spelman seed saving workshop). Students and faculty from both institutions also participated in annual trips to a 'third space' (Sapelo Island, Georgia) to participate together in service learning and to build cross-institutional relationships. These activities required significant coordination among faculty from both institutions and resulted in students from both institutions expanding their knowledge about the socio-economic, environmental, and health effects of food systems, and their repertoire of potential solutions for addressing complex food systems challenges. This project also facilitated cross-institutional teaching and mentorship. Co-PI Nik Heynen taught has taught 6 courses at Spelman College over the course of this project. Spelman co-PI Dr. Kimberly Jackson and Professor Suneye Holmes each presented at UGA professional development workshops. Professor Holmes has created a new course (Food Sovereignty and Production) which will be offered in Spring 2026. Faculty from both institutions also provided cross-institutional guest lecturers in classes. Three Spelman students participated in cross-institutional mentorship with UGA graduate students / former graduate students, and one student was recruited to UGA for graduate school in Geography as a result of this project. These collaborations have resulted in both formal and informal ties between institutions and have facilitated learning and knowledge exchange between students and faculty at both institutions. Our project has, so far, resulted in two publications -- including a collaborative publication (recently accepted to Agriculture and Human Values) examining outcomes related the professional development trainings associated with Obj #2. Finally, the project has resulted in emergent collaborations between faculty at both institutions--including a USDA grant proposal (unfunded), and co-participation in the Heirloom Collards Project (ongoing). These emergent collaborations demonstrate the sustainable connections developed over the course of this project. In sum, this project has positively impacted students and faculty from both programs. Food Scholars responding to a Spring 2025 survey consistently reported feeling "empowered" by participation in the project. Eight out of ten reported that they plan to attend graduate school and many described career paths related to the food system (e.g., food system policy, food journalism, culinary arts, restauranteur) or informal roles in addressing food systems priorities. Critical reflections from UGA faculty, staff, and graduate students participating in professional development offered by this project demonstrated increased self-awareness, knowledge, and behavioral intentions related to their mentoring and teaching praxis. Cross-institutional exchanges have resulted in a resilient collaboration among faculty/students at both institutions that extends beyond the boundaries of this project through co-authored publications, workshops for faculty/students at other institutions, and new grant proposals. Collectively, these suggest the potential for long-term positive impact for both programs and, through the dissemination of results through workshops and publications, for other programs using our project as a model for collaboration.
Publications
- Type:
Other Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Park, J, F Olaoye, K Jackson, W Barr, JJ Thompson. (Accepted) From Awareness to Action: Building a Community of Practice for Equity in Food Systems Education. Agriculture and Human Values.
- Type:
Other Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Garth, H., Desmond, T., Jackson, K., Wade Gayles, G., Smith, H., Adeeb, B., Hassan, E.F., Keeve, C., Jacobs, J., Tereszkiewicz, A. and Madden, J. Developing the Heirloom Gardens Oral History Project. Cult Agric Food Environ, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1111/cuag.70001
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, JJ, F Olaoye, and K Jackson. Collaborating to Expand Equity in Food Systems Education. 2024 Joint Meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society and Association for the Study of Food and Society. Syracuse, NY.(workshop)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Herles, C. (Re) Imagining Higher Education to Address Sustainable Development Goals: Flourishing through Praxis" at the New Challenges for Higher Education, Cities and Regions: Addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in Changing Contexts 17th PASCAL conference, July 4th to 6th, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan.
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Parekh, P and Herles, C. "A Reflection on Our Journey into Collaborative Programs" in Collaborative Frontiers: HBCUs and Global Academic Programs and Partnerships in Asian Studies and Asia, Pavri and Togunde, eds. HBCUs International Footprint Book Series.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, JJ. (2024) Re-Envisioning Sustainable Food Systems. National Sustainability Society Inaugural Conference. University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Oral Presentation).
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, JJ. Transitions toward equity and sustainability in food systems education. 2023 joint meeting of the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropological Society/Soci�t� canadienne danthropologie. Toronto. (Roundtable panelist)
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Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Spelman undergraduate students interested in pursuing a food studies minor, and potentially graduate school. Graduate students and faculty at UGA who are (or plan to be) mentors to undergraduates/graduates in agriculture and food sciences. Colleagues at other institutions interested in developing similar collaborations. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant is focused on training and professional development, and many of these opportunities are described in detail above. These opportunities include: participation in Garden Conversations, workshops, professional development, and service-learning by Spelman Food Scholars and UGA faculty, staff, and graduate students. This project has also provided individualized mentorship and supervised research for the graduate assistant hired on this project. Additional training / professional development opportunities: Food Systems Faculty Professional Learning Group (month meetings across Spring 2024 for UGA faculty and future faculty) FEED (Food Systems Equity in Education Professional Development) Workshop offered May 2024 at UGA for faculty/grad students/staff Collaborating to Expand Equity in Food Systems Education Workshop offered June 2024 at the AFHVS-ASFS Conference, Syracuse, NY. Heirloom Gardens Project Boot camp held June 2024 at Spelman College. Scholars were trained inoral history collection and archiving, (June 13-15th). This training is to collect histories around Black foodways in partnership with Princeton University and UJAMAA Farming Cooperative. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As described above, we have continued to disseminate knowledge and support the development of skills inclusive mentoring and equitable pedagogy via faculty development opportunities at UGA. PI Thompson has disseminated information about our project model in presentations to several departments across UGA and at national/international professional meetings. We have further disseminated knowledge about our project model through a workshop at the 2024 annual meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Association/Associate for the Study of Food in Society. The workshop, entitled "Collaborating to Expand Equity in Food Systems Education", targeted faculty and graduate students interested in developing equitable, cross-institutional collaborations like our own. Co-PI Jackson is co-author on a paper in review with Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment.Evaluation is ongoing and we are nearing submission of our first manuscript based on results of this project to Agriculture and Human Values. Presentations: PI Thompson and Dr. James Daria(faculty at Spelman College) participated on the roundtable "Towards Equity and Sustainability in Food Systems Education" at the American Anthropology Association annual conference in Toronto, Canada, Nov. 15-19, 2023. The panel was organized by PIThompson. Co-PI Jackson, Co-organizer and panelist,, Empowering Eaters Summit: An event in collaboration with the Biden-Harris Administration's National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, Food Tank, Spelman College and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2024 Jackson, K. M. (2024)Practicing Food Studies: Established Experiences and Emerging Perspectives, 2024 AFHVS-ASFS Conference, Syracuse, NY. (panelist) Jackson, K.M. (2023) Centering Black women voices through agency, cancer therapeutics, and empowerment, IUPUI Chemistry Seminar Series, Indianapolis, IN. Jackson, K.M. (2023) Re-engineering the environment: Centering Black women's voices through science and placemaking, Cornell University, Food Science Seminar Series, Ithaca, NY. Thompson, JJ.(2024)Co-Constructing Sustainable Food Systems: A Transdisciplinary and Participatory Approach. Odum School of Ecology. University of Georgia. Thompson, JJ. (2023) With Us Not For Us: Co-constructing Sustainable Food Systems Through Participatory and Community-Engaged Research. Department of Geography. University of Georgia. Thompson, JJ. (2024) "Re-Evisioning Sustainable Food Systems." National Sustainability Society Inaugural Conference. University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Herles, C. (2024)(Re)Imagining Higher Education to Address Sustainable Development Goals: Flourishing through Praxis. 17th Pascal Conference. Taipei, Taiwan. Featured https://nature.berkeley.edu/breakthroughs/fa23/building-bridges (featuring food scholar, Na'Ziya Dowdy-Arnold) https://cultivate.caes.uga.edu/jennifer-jo-thompson (featuring PI-Thompson) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the final year of this project, we expect to: (1) continue nurturing a learning community of food scholars at Spelman College by awarding a third cohort of Food Scholars, continuing to support workshops and professional development opportunities, cohort bonding trips, and mentoring; (2) continue building an inclusive community of practice at UGA by supporting an ongoing professional learning community and FEED workshops; and (3) continue fostering exchanges among faculty and students at both institutions through cross-campus visits and lectures and collaborative visits to Sapelo Island. Co-PI Heynen will continue cross-institutional teaching in Fall 2024. We are in the final stages of preparation of a manuscript focused on evaluation outcomes from the workshops at UGA. This will be submitted in late 2024/early 2025.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We continue to strengthen the learning community of Food Scholars at Spelman College. During the current reporting period, eight Spelmen undergraduate students continued as Food Scholars during Year 3 for the grant. Food scholars received one-on-one mentorship, participated in 14 colloquia and workshops focused on food and agricultural careers and leadership, and learning trips to Sapelo Island (Georgia) and Senegal. Monthly colloquia and workshops included topics such as seed-keeping and herbal medicine, as well as film screenings and panel conversations. Food Scholars participated in the Food Tank/White House Food Summit (co-PI Jackson was co-organizer and panelist and Food Scholar Love Lundy presented).Spelman's Victory Garden continued to be used as space for practicing regenerative landscape design, advocacy for food and housing security, and engagement in difficult dialogues related to food justice. Students cultivated eighty-four species of African Diasporic crops, medicinal herbs and berries, and native perennials, and harvested 71 pounds of greens and nearly 24 pounds of medicinal herbs and barriers. Food Scholars have established a system to distribute fresh produce and dehydrated mushroom packets for free via Mimi's Pantry, a satellite food pantry extension of the Joseph E. Lowery Institute to support food insecure students. We are expanding our community of practice at UGA to support inclusive mentorship and food systems pedagogy. Building upon our professional development workshops series in Year 2, we continued to convene a group of 10 food systems graduate students, faculty, and staff to continue co-learning about inclusive mentoring and pedagogy in the context of food systems education. This Food Systems Faculty Professional Learning Group met monthly during Spring 2024, and has developed into a formal UGA Professional Learning Community in Fall 2024. We offered our May 2024 FEED (Food Systems Equity in Education Professional Development) workshop for a second time. Six graduate students and staff members participated, and all participants submitted revised syllabi or program materials to receive mini-grants to support the implementation of their efforts. We continued our collaboration with Sapelo Island's agricultural revitalization project SOLO (Save Our Legacy Ourself): growing culturally relevant seedlings (Indigo and Sour Orange) at UGArden the student-community farm, co-hosting Maurice Bailey from SOLO for a public lecture, and bringing students to Sapel for a weekend of service learning. Finally, we have continued evaluation: analyzing data collected at all three workshops held in Year 2, collecting data with 2024 FEED participants, and conducting a focus group with Spelman Food Scholars in Spring 2024. We are continuing to foster scholar exchange between faculty and students in both programs. In Year 3 of this project, faculty and students from both institutions continued to visit and participate in cross-institutional activities, including workshops and lectures and travel to Sapelo for service-learning and (agri)cultural immersion. Project leaders from UGA and Spelman developed a workshop offered at the 2024 Agriculture Food and Human Values conference that shared our approach to working toward equitable collaboration between a predominantly White Land Grant Institution and a Historically Black College. Co-PI Heynen (UGA Faculty) continued to teach in Spelman's Food Studies program, and Spelman faculty participated as guest speakers at UGA's FEED workshop. Both institutions participated in Heirloom Collards Project (spearheaded by the Utopian Seed Project and Ujamaa Farms) by growing "Ultracross" collards at Spelman's Victory Garden and at UGArden. Both institutions harvested greens and UGA harvested 10# of seed, which was shared back to Ujamaa for re-distribution. UGA and Spelman also collaborated to support several students in internships and independent studies. Finally, we have continued to enrich our collaboration by submitting a NIFA Environmental Justice proposal (in review).
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Spelman undergraduate students interested in pursuing a food studies minor, and potentially graduate school. Graduate students and faculty at UGA who are (or plan to be) mentors to undergraduates/graduates in agriculture and food sciences. ? Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant is focused on training and professional development, and many of these opportunities are described in detail above. These opportunities include: participation in Garden Conversations, workshops, professional development, and service-learning by Spelman Food Scholars and UGA faculty, staff, and graduate students. This project has also provided individualized mentorship and supervised research for the graduate assistant hired on this project. ? How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As evaluation is ongoing, we do not yet have 'results' from this project. However, we have shared our project model and discussed formative 'lessons learned' in a number of settings, including the 2023 Georgia Climate Conference (Athens, GA) and the 2023 Knowing Food Conference, the joint meeting of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (Boston, MA). We also sponsored professional development opportunities, and developed and facilitated the FEED (Food Systems Equity in Education Professional Development) workshop as part of this project, to disseminate knowledge and skills related to inclusive mentorship and curriculum to UGA faculty, staff, and graduate students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 3 of this project, we expect to: (1) To continue nurturing a learning community of food scholars at Spelman College through workshops and professional development opportunities, cohort bonding and mentoring. (2) To continue building an inclusive community of practice at UGA by hosting and facilitating ongoing professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students (i.e., 2024 FEED workshop). And (3) To continue fostering exchanges among students and faculty in both programs by attending events hosted by one another, participating in 'third site' cross-institutional activities (i.e., on Sapelo Island, at conferences, etc.). Dr. Nik Heynen will continue cross-institutional teaching in Fall 2023, and we plan to jointly organize a workshop for the 2024 Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society meeting. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In Year Two, we have built on the foundational efforts of year one of the project. We awarded a second cohort of Food Scholars at Spelman College, and both institutions hosted professional development and learning opportunities-targeting Spelman Food Scholars, Sustainable Food Systems faculty and graduate students at UGA, and fostering exchange among students and faculty at both institutions. Specifically, we have accomplished the following: 1. We are establishing a learning community of Food Scholars at Spelman College. We named 12 Spelman Food Scholars during Year 2 of the grant. Food scholars received one-on-one research advisement, participated in monthly colloquia and garden conversation-based mentoring on agri-food graduate opportunities. Monthly garden talks and workshops targeting Food Scholars, with topics including Black Women and Herbalism, Business of Food, Food as Resistance, Food Entrepreneurship. Workshop topics were iteratively designed in response to student feedback and in response to present-day agri-food system challenges. Food Scholars and Food Studies students participated in a Black Foodways Study Travel trip to Lisbon, Portugal. Further expansion of Spelman's Victory Garden as an outdoor lab for the growing learning community of Food Scholars. The garden now centers over 80 African Diasporic plants and organic, regenerative practices that reflect the diverse background of Food Scholars and Food Studies students, as well as offering an experiential outdoor mushroom and mycoremediation lab. Established a new 'Food Studies Grow Lab' for food studies research at Spelman. ? 2. We are building an inclusive community of practice within UGA's Sustainable Food Systems Initiative. This year, we expanded UGA's Sustainable Food Systems inclusive community of practice by inviting food systems faculty, staff, and graduate students to participate in several professional development workshops focused on increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in food systems education. Twelve UGA faculty, staff, graduate students participated in a 3 day (8h) mentoring workshop which used the Entering Mentoring curricula (developed by CIMER, the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research). Fifteen UGA faculty, staff, and graduate students participated in a 2 day "Anti-Racism in Agrifood Systems Workshop" hosted by Spelman College (more detail below). Graduate assistant (Folasade Olaoye) developed a 2 day FEED: Food systems Equity Education professional Development Workshop, adapting and building upon resources from the Entering Mentoring curricula and the UC-Berkeley curricula. The FEED workshop included speakers from UGA and Spelman College and was attended by 13 UGA faculty, staff, and graduate students. We also hosted several Garden Conversations (virtually, to facilitate participation by Spelman students) that focused on topics of interest, including a film screening and roundtable conversation focused on the importance of seed saving, learning about the Penn Center, the first school in the South for formerly enslaved West Africans and a National Historic Landmark District on St. Helena Island in South Carolina, and the impacts of GM crops and herbicides in Argentine agriculture. We implemented our evaluation plan for the project - which included: Conducted a focus group and survey with Spelman Food Scholars (n=9) in Sept 2022 aimed assessing their attitudes and interests related to food systems and graduate education. Conducted critical reflexive analyses with faculty, staff, and graduate students participating in all three professional development workshops (n=46 responses). Analysis is ongoing. Collected revised materials from FEED workshop participants to document learning and changes to teaching/mentorship. ? 3. We are fostering scholarly exchanges between students and faculty in both programs. Faculty and students from both UGA and Spelman continue to visit and participate in cross-institutional activities. UGA faculty/students attended several Spelman garden workshops this year, including those focused on seed saving, Black women and herbalism, and Spelman's Food Justice Summit. Spelman students participated in several virtual events hosted by UGA, including a seed saving roundtable, which included several speakers identified through participation in Spelman's seed saving workshop. Students from PI Thompson's graduate course at UGA and Food Scholars working with co-PI Heynen at Spelman College spent a weekend participating in service learning on Sapelo Island with Save Our Legacy Ourself (SOLO), a non-profit organization focused on preservation of the Saltwater Geechee culture through agriculture. Students planted nearly 1500 seedlings (nurtured at UGArden, UGA's student campus farm)--including indigo, red peas, and African Diasporic herbs for a medicinal herb garden. Spelman College hosted an "Anti-Racism in Agrifood Systems Workshop", a two-day workshop targeting UGA faculty and future faculty. This workshop was facilitated by colleagues at UC-Berkeley, Kenzo Esquivel and Rosalie Zdzienicka Fanshel, adapted from a semester-long course ("Critical Engagements in Anti-Racist Environmental Scholarship") developed and taught at UCB. Associated Toolkit available here: https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/advancing-inclusion-and-anti-racism-college-classroom The PI and co-PIs, and graduate assistant on this project, collaborated on presentations for the 2023 Georgia Climate conference and the 2023 Knowing Food Conference (the joint conference of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Association). UGA Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Nik Heynen received a cross-institutional appointment as a Visiting Scholar, and he continued teaching one class each semester at Spelman College in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, JJ, A Bisceglia, A McCoy, W Barr, L Towe, and C Herles. 2023. Urban Gardens and Community Food Systems. (Panel) Georgia Climate Conference, Athens GA. (Invited Panel)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Barr, W and JJ Thompson. Nurturing Cross-Institutional Relationships to Diversify Sustainable Food Systems Education. 2023 joint meeting of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society. Boston, MA. (Roundtable).
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Spelman undergraduate students interested in pursuing a food studies minor, and potentially graduate school. Graduate students and faculty at UGA who are (or plan to be) mentors to undergraduates/graduates in agriculture and food sciences. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant is focused on training and professional development, and many of these opportunities are described in detail above. These opportunities include: participation in individual and group mentoring opportunities, workshops, and professional development by Spelman Food Scholars, participation in DEI workshops and a faculty learning community by UGA faculty, participation in cross-institutional courses and workshops by faculty/students at both institutions, and individualized mentorship and supervised research for the graduate assistant hired on this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Spelman hosted a networking mixer (November 2021) with ~40 Atlanta-based food systems leaders, growers, and entrepreneurs. During the mixer, co-PIs Whitney Barr and Kimberly Jackson led a presentation about the new Food Scholars and asked leaders to share their perceived areas of opportunity for scholars to be better prepared (within food studies programs) for local and global food challenges. Feedback collected was used to inform future monthly colloquia, workshops, and Victory Garden planting. During the summer of 2022, Barr presented at the Umbra Institute's Biennial Food Conference in Perugia, Italy on the topic "Growing Spelman's Food Studies Program as a Transdisciplinary Space" with a focus on developing a learning community of Food Scholars to over 30 agri-food-focused academics and campus garden leaders. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? To continue to establish and nurture a learning community of food scholars, the project team at Spelman College will add a second cohort of food scholars, continue to plan and host workshops and professional development opportunities for these students, organize and implement cohort bonding and mentoring, and continue to host Dr. Nik Heynen as a visiting faculty member. To continue to build an inclusive community of practice, the project team at UGA will organize and implement an inclusive mentoring workshop, develop and implement a workshop focused on building more inclusive curriculum and classrooms, and establish series of in-person and virtual garden conversations to promote discussion of these topics. To continue to foster scholarly exchanges between students and faculty in both programs, we are planning to host more collaborative workshops and events. For example, UGA faculty and students plan to attend several food studies workshops at Spelman in Fall 2022 (e.g., seed saving, and Black women and herbalism), and Spelman Food Scholars are invited to participate in a virtual screening and roundtable discussion on seed saving and food sovereignty hosted by UGA. Dr. Nik Heynen will continue cross-institutional teaching. We plan to jointly organize a session for the 2023 Association for the Study of Food and Society/Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society meeting.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In Year One, we have effectively laid the foundation for the success of this project. We have awarded an inaugural cohort of twelve Food Scholars at Spelman College and organized ongoing professional development, networking, and bonding opportunities to support their success as food system leaders. We have initiated efforts to build an inclusive community of practice within UGA's Sustainable Food Systems Initiative by holding a DEI professional development and team building workshop with project leaders and regular meetings to plan workshops that will have a broader reach. To develop durable relationships between students and faculty at both programs, we have collaborated on several cross-institutional activities, including campus visits and cross-institutional teaching. We have concrete plans for growing these efforts in Year Two and continue to anticipate that this program will serve as a model for strengthening cross-institutional partnerships aimed at fostering inclusive programs and mentoring, and increasing the representation of BIPOC undergraduate and graduate students in food and agricultural science programs. By collaboratively addressing barriers to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the field, we will help to build a stronger, and more diverse pool of future educators, thought leaders, and practitioners in the food and agricultural sciences. Specifically, we have accomplished the following: 1. We are establishing a learning community of Food Scholars at Spelman College. 12 scholars were each awarded $5000 scholarships (partially funded through this grant), who received one-on-one research advisement, participated in monthly colloquia and garden conversation-based mentoring on agri-food graduate opportunities. Monthly workshop topics ranged from The Joys and Challenges of Local Food Distribution with regional supplier Common Market's Executive Bill Green, Farming, Entrepreneurship, and Food Activism (Whitney Jaye, Farmer and Owner of Sunbird Flower Farms), Global Food Fermentation (Kellogg), and Food Systems Planning (City of Atlanta Planning). Workshop topics were iteratively designed in response to student feedback and in response to present-day agri-food system challenges that agri-food-focused graduate education, if pursued by students, may help address. Scholars engaged in follow-up garden conversations and have continuously expressed interest in pursuing food systems in graduate school and/or industry opportunities. Food Scholars and Food Studies students participated in a bonding trip to Sapelo Island, Georgia focused on coastal land justice and Saltwater Geechee foodways (in partnership with the University of Georgia). Co-PI Barr worked with a part-time garden technician (Sariyah Benoit) to expand the footprint of Spelman's Victory Garden as an outdoor lab for the growing learning community of Food Scholars. The garden also expanded to accommodate Food Studies programmatic growth, biodiversity, and student food system interests. The garden now centers over 80 African Diasporic plants and organic, regenerative practices that reflect the diverse background of Food Scholars and Food Studies students. As Food Scholars, students participated in monthly garden hours and team projects that have deepened their understandings of agriculture and food systems scholarship. 2. We are building an inclusive community of practice within UGA's Sustainable Food Systems Initiative. We advertised and hired a graduate assistant (Folasade Olaoye, MPH student in Health Planning and Promotion) to support the objectives of this project. UGA project leadership participated in a full-day DEI professional development and team building workshop. The DEI professional development portion of this workshop was facilitated by Dr. Nontalie Morrow, founder and owner of 3-Fold Alignment, LLC. As part of this workshops, we created timelines and RACIE charts to guide and track team progress throughout the year. We established an evaluation plan for the project: Formative Assessments in Years 2 & 3. The following formative assessments will take place with Spelman food scholars: (1) Survey at the beginning and end of each academic year, assessing career endeavors, career development support experiences, and developing understanding of food systems and leadership needs; and (2) critical reflexive analyses at the conclusion of core activities throughout the year, such as select organized garden conversations and idea exchanges to serve as checkpoints to assess personal perceptions and their association of organized activities with lived experiences. For UGA faculty development, the following formative assessments will include (1) reviewing syllabi that address exposure with and centering of BIPOC experiences following curriculum workshops, and (2) critical reflexive analyses at the conclusion of core activities throughout the year, such as mentorship development workshops, course development, idea exchanges, and collaborative research projects. Summative Assessments in Year 3. For food scholars, summative assessments will include electronic portfolios assessing personal and professional growth, developed and applied knowledge, completed projects, and overall career readiness. For UGA faculty, summative assessments will include accounting for revised or new courses offerings, including course evaluations if applicable; independent study opportunities between UGA faculty and Spelman students; and successful recruitment and retention of Spelman graduates to UGA graduate programs We conducted monthly planning meetings with the UGA team to plan ongoing activities, including garden discussions, seminar presentations, and professional development workshops. We have partnered with the Sustainability Faculty Learning Committee (FLC) to align its conversations, thoughts and experiences with our grant purpose. 3. We are fostering scholarly exchanges between students and faculty in both programs. Faculty and students from both UGA and Spelman teams have visited and participated in cross-institutional activities. These activities include: Spelman food scholars, faculty, and staff touring the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia and joined UGA students/faculty to tour UGAarden (UGA's student run campus farm) and participate in a food reclamation lunch challenge. This event focused on cross-institutional student networking, campus gardening projects, and edible landscape architecture. UGA students and faculty visited the Victory Garden on the Spelman campus and participated in Food Studies virtual seminars including the annual Food Justice Symposium. Toward our long-term goal of cross-institutional teaching/appointments, UGA Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Nik Heynen taught Black Food Geographies at Spelman College in Spring 2022. This cross-teaching is continuing in Fall 2022.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Barr, Whitney (presenter) and Kimberly M. Jackson. 2022. Growing Spelman's Food Studies Program as a Transdisciplinary Space. Umbra Institute's Biennial Food Conference (Perugia, Italy)
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