CRFS 2021-2023 Theme
Right to Farm: How do we think about and support the right to farm as we face
ongoing global environmental change and dispossession of farmers from their land,
seeds, resources such as water, and ability to achieve a living wage and just
livelihood?
Right to Food: How do we transform food into a public good like universal k-12
education so that people – rather than transnational corporations and market forces
– control food and food systems? How do we hold governments – not individuals –
accountable for the wellbeing of the people?
CRFS Events
Black Farmers and Legacy Foods as
g y
Community Wealth
Featuring: Gail Myers, P.hD., Co-founder Farms to Grow, Inc
When: Friday, April 8th 3:30-5:00 PM PST
Where: Via Zoom
Since the Civil War, African American agrarians have been constrained by various
power structures. Following emancipation, most Black families were sharecroppers
or tenant farmers with restricted social, political, and economic mobility.
Nonetheless, in 1910, 920,000 Black families managed to own or partly own 12
million acres of farmland and farm over 16 million acres. How did these families, who
50 years prior were enslaved, develop these farming communities?
In this talk, Dr. Gail Myers explores the key factors for the growth and endurance of
Black farming communities, including rural connectedness, maintenance of agrarian
traditions, and the planting of legacy foods such as okra, purple hull peas, butter
beans, sweet potatoes, and greens. Despite facing tremendous barriers, Black
farmers created legacies of wealth through food, community support, and mutual
accountability.
Contested Geographies of Food, Ethnicity, and Gentrification took place on Friday,
November 12, 2021. Watch the full talk here.
Impact Earth Podcast: Food Systems: Pandemics, Equity and the
Future: Listen to Center for Regional Food Studies Assistant Director, Laurel
Bellante, and Gigi Owen (CLIMAS) talk about Food Systems: Pandemics, Equity,
and the Future on the Impact Earth podcast. The episode: Food Systems:
Pandemics, Equity and the Future is now streaming on Spotify and all major podcast
platforms.
W.A. Franke Honors College Speaker Series 'Big Ideas, Grand
Challenges" Center for Regional Food Studies Assistant Director, Laurel
Bellante spoke on the panel, "The Future of Food Production," alongside Viraj Puri
(Gotham Greens) and Dionne Washington (Project Roots, Phoenix) on January
26th. The recording of this event is now posted. Watch the recording here.
CRFS News
CRFS Community Advisory Board Member is a
James Beard Award
Semi-finalist
Congratulations to Don Guerra, Owner Barrio Bread and Center for Regional Food
Studies Community Advisory Board Member for being a James Beard Award Semi-
finalist. Don is nomintated for Outstanding Baker.
Two other Tucson chefs also received nominations. For a full article and list of
nominees click here.
Nutrire CoLab Episode 5: Nourishing
Reflections by Kenyan Anthropologist Edna
Bosire
Emily Mendenhall interviews her longtime colleague Edna Bosire about her personal
journey in the field of anthropology, beginning at the University of Nairobi's
anthropology department. Bosire eventually spent nearly four years at the University
of the Witwatersrand where she completed her PhD, working at the intersection of
health, nutrition, anthropology, and health systems. Bosire also provides insights into
her work as an ethnographer of health policy and systems in Malawi and in her work
with Health Systems Global.
Nutrire CoLab is comprised of a group of women scholars who identify as
feminist and are mostly anthropologists. The podcast explores eating, feeding,
caring, and healing from a critical medical and feminist, primarily anthropological
lens.
Episode 5 is now available on Spotify.
2020-21 State of the Tucson Food System
Report
If you missed the launch event of the 2020-21 State of the Tucson Food System
report, you can now watch the recording of the event here, or by clicking on the
below STFS Video button.
This year's report assesses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern
Arizona. Click here or below, on the System Report button, to read the full report.
The Executive Summary of the State of the Tucson Food System Report can be
viewed here, or by clicking on the below Executive Summary button.
STFS Video
System Report
Local Events
Celebrate Arizona's Black Farmers & Food
Businesses
Celebrate Arizona’s Black farmers and food businesses who are working to create
an inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable economy. Support, Donate, and Share our list
of Black food entrepreneurs that you can support during Black History Month and all
year long!
Click here for a full article and a list of businesses.
Planting the Seeds for Tomorrow: The
Tumamoc Resilience Garden Lecture Series
The Tumamoc Resilience Garden at the base of Tumamoc Hill will be an
inspirational setting where the community can have hands-on participation in how to
live in the desert in a hotter and drier future. The backbone design allows passive
rainwater harvesting to create an environment that supports a wide diversity of arid-
adapted food species from the borderlands. The arid borderlands region is home to
dozens of species that are the close relatives of many of the core crops species in
use today around the world. These seeds represent millennia of adaptive knowledge
from the plants and people of our region. The garden space will weave together time
and approaches that demonstrate adaptive responses to an extreme environment,
all in an inviting community space.
This lecture series will connect you to the concepts, people, and intentions of this
new space in our community. Presentations in this series will be available on-
demand on this website. Watch or listen at your convenience starting on the date
listed for each presentation. Below is a list of lectures.
March 16th: O'odham Agriculture
April 20th" Food from the Levan: A Model of Desert Agriculture from Israel
May 18th: The Next Generation of Gardeners: the School gardens Project
Executive Summary
For more information visit their website.
Living with the Land, Part 2: Food in the Desert
Featuring active practitioners, thought leaders, and experts in fields from
permaculture to rainwater harvesting to indigenous agriculture and more, this series
is designed to re-examine and expand our understanding of what it means to live
sustainably on and with the land. Several of the speakers are also involved with
supporting the revitalization of the agricultural program at Arcosanti itself.
What: “Living with the Land, Part II: Food in the Desert” is The Cosanti Foundation’s
2022 Spring Speaker Series.
Where: All sessions take place live at Arcosanti on the dates indicated.
When: March 5, March 19, April 16, and April 23. See individual session information
for details.
Program Cost: Free! There is no cost to attend these sessions.
Registration: Sign up for any or all of the sessions here, and don’t forget to follow
us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, too!
Other Events
Building Beyond Nice Racism: Catalyzing
Institutional Change in the Food System
This virtual learning series in 2022 is open to student, faculty, organizational, agency,
and community leaders who are seeking a deeper understanding of structural and
institutional racism in our food system. The series is designed to provide a pathway
to action to help dismantle the attitudes, practices, and structures that hold racism in
place as a step towards creating a more equitable food system that works for
everyone.
More information on the flyer below or visit the Virginia Tech Center for Food
Systems website.
NAFSN's On Level Ground: Episode #1
The first episode of North American Food Systems Network "On Level Ground"
series, featuring organizations with innovative responses to farmland ownership and
working waterway access challenges in the United States. We start next week in
New Hampshire with Anthony Munene and Jameson Small of ORIS, the
Organization for Refugee & Immigrant Success at their Fresh Start Farms program.
Sign up for this March 1, 1pm ET episode here. There is no charge to attend.
Each 60-minute episode of the "On Level Ground" series will illuminate the work of
one organization in a conversation-style, virtual setting with the host. Questions from
participants are highly encouraged, making each episode as interactive as possible.
Conversations will be enriched with links (via Chat) to published, peer-reviewed
research on related topics from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and
Community Development, our sister program. This series has been produced for all
audiences.
Other News
Recipes for Success:
Startup Tucson's Food Accelerator
Have you ever thought about launching a food business? Are you a current food
entrepreneur looking for ways to increase your sales and find new customers?
Startup Tucson's Recipes for Success is a free food business accelerator for
existing and aspiring food entrepreneurs. Upon completing this 10-week course, you
can expect to have the knowledge needed to launch or grow your business,
understand your startup or scaling costs, manage your supply chain, navigate
distribution on the local and national scale, and more.
Deadline to apply is March 7th. Click here to apply.
New Publication: Desert Foods for a Resilient
Future
Without radical changes to food production, desert dwellers face growing food and
economic insecurity in a hotter, drier future. Megadroughts supercharged by
anthropogenic warming are already testing the adequacy of conventional crops, as
well as the health and livelihoods of desert dwellers and farm workers. Continued
reliance on large-scale, industrialized agriculture is only exacerbating the problem.
Unsustainable practices are stressing dwindling ground water reserves and
degrading the very basis of food production. Furthermore, increased dependence on
outside resources has left us vulnerable to disruptions in labor, supplies, fuel, and
food production.
The Desert Laboratory and the Arizona Institutes for Resilience are leading a multi-
year initiative, grounded in the biocultural heritage of Aridamerica, to radically
redesign desert food production and help desert communities adapt to accelerating
climate change over the next half century. The Aridamerica Food Resilience initiative
focuses on creating inclusive and sustainable solutions for local and regional food
systems that will promote resilience to compound social and environmental
stressors. As major cities around the world consider a hotter, water-scarce future,
today’s arid lands are our laboratories for future agriculture. To learn more about this
project, visit: https://tumamoc.arizona.edu/research/active-research-
projects/aridamerica-food-resilience.
Click here for the Desert Food booklet in English and click here for Spanish.
Essay Release: The Impact of COVID-19 on
Food Access for Alaska Natives
The Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network has been working on the Impact of
COVID-19 on Food Access in Indigenous Communities in the Arctic and U.S.
Southwest: A Comparative Landscape Analysis study (NSF-OPP Award # 2035161)
project and we published an essay in in the NOAA's Arctic Report Card.
Opportunities for Undergraduates
Agroecology Extension (AX) Summer Research Fellowship at
University of Vermont
The Agroecology Extension (AX) Summer Research Fellowship is a fully paid
research and outreach experience open to undergraduates from across the U.S. It is
collaboration between UVM Extension and the Plant and Soil Science Department,
and coordinated by the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative on UVM’s main
campus in Burlington, VT. This work builds on a related effort to engage
undergraduates in co-learning through Participatory Action Research.
The AX Fellowship starts May 31, 2022, and runs for 10 weeks, M-F 9am-5pm.
Students will receive a $4,000 stipend.
On-campus housing or a housing allowance is provided.
Fieldwork will take place on commercial and research farms.
Project locations are dependent upon mentor’s research.
Personal transportation is preferred but not required.
Applications will be accepted through the UVM Office of Fellowships, Opportunities,
and Undergraduate Research (FOUR) Internal Research Funding website.
The application deadline is March 4, 2022.
For questions about AX? Contact Scott Lewins ([email protected])
Questions about the application? Contact FOUR ([email protected])
FOOD 393 Summer Internship Opportunities
Are you looking to earn academic credit this spring while also
acquiring new life experiences and job skills? Consider applying for
one of these internship opportunities (FOOD393)
Local First Arizona - Local First Arizona Foundation (LFA) is a non-profit
organization that is building opportunities in Arizona. LFA is an award-winning
organization focused on community and economic development throughout the
state in order to build self-sufficient, healthy, and prosperous communities.
UA Garden Kitchen - The Garden Kitchen, located in the heart of South
Tucson, is a seed-to-table nutrition education program of the University of
Arizona’s Pima County Cooperative Extension.
Mission Gardens - Mission Garden is an ancient agricultural site, farmed
continuously for more than 4,000 years. Today it is an agricultural heritage
museum interpreting and celebrating the multicultural history of Tucson
through a series of Timeline Gardens.
Pivot Produce - Pivot is a produce distribution/warehousing company which
sources produce from southern Arizona small scale farms to restaurants and
consumers in the Tucson area.
Iskashitaa Refugee Network - Iskashitaa Refugee Network creates
opportunities to integrate UN refugees into the Southern Arizona community
while educating the public, strengthening the local food system, reducing local
food waste, and increasing food security. The network focuses on harvesting
and gleaning food from local sources and backyard gardens that would
otherwise go to waste.
FMI and to apply, please visit: https://foodstudies.arizona.edu/internships
Summer 2022 Internship Stipends
About: If eligible and offered an internship position, you will receive financial support
from the University for a Summer 2022 internship. Applications are due March 25th
click here for more information
Financial support includes:
$2500 stipend, distributed to your Bursar account in three installments
throughout the Summer 2022 session (May 13, June 17, and July 22).
Option to request 1-credit tuition scholarship, if you would like to do your
internship for credit and it is eligible in your academic plan.
Eligibility:
In order to be eligible for a Summer Internship Stipend, a current University of
Arizona undergraduate student must meet the following criteria:
Have 30 credit hours completed as of February 10, 2022
Be in good academic standing
Planning to enroll for Fall 2022 classes*
Be a US resident
Have demonstrated unmet need (determined by the Office of Scholarships and
Financial Aid)
*Student Engagement and Career Development will verify your Fall 2022 enrollment
prior to your first stipend disbursement in May.
Have questions about your eligibility? Reach out to the LifeLab team
at [email protected] and we can verify before you start applying.
Opportunities for Graduate Students
Graduate Assistantship in Food Systems at the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is looking for a highly motivated graduate
student to join my food systems lab at UNH for a fully funded graduate training
opportunity. The student will play an important role in assisting with lab research
projects to 1) advance the development of values-based food aggregation and
marketing models that reduce barriers for farmers and consumers and prioritize
resilience, environmental sustainability, food justice, and racial and LGBTQ+ equity,
and 2) identify and address logistical, policy, and identity-based barriers and
opportunities for wider public engagement with local and regional food systems. The
ideal candidate for the position will thrive in a collaborative setting that brings
together researchers from diverse fields, extension educators, nonprofit partners,
farmers, and other food systems stakeholders.
To apply: Interested applicants should contact Dr. Analena Bruce
([email protected]) as soon as possible to discuss their interests in advance
of applying for the graduate program (deadlines: January 15, 2022, for ANFS
programs and May 15, 2022, for the NRES PhD program). Please include the
following information in your message: 1) your interest in the position, 2)your goals
for pursuing a graduate degree, 3) why you think this program may be a good fit for
your professional goals and research interests, and 4) relevant experience and skills
that qualify you for the position. Please attach a CV or resume to your message.
Post-Doc Opportunities
Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy is hiring a
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Application Deadline: March 1, 2022
Position Start: August 2022
The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona
announces a postdoctoral position to focus on stakeholder engagement in
environmental and natural resources governance. Stakeholder engagement is at the
cornerstone of environmental and natural resources governance.
The postdoctoral candidate will be tasked with:
• Collaborating in an interdisciplinary and diverse research group
• Developing and where appropriate, overseeing project design
• Synthesizing and integrating across diverse bodies of public policy, geography,
political science, and other relevant disciplinary literature
• Conducting qualitative and quantitative research
• Partnering with local, regional, and national stakeholders
• Presenting research results at national and international conferences
• Organizing and facilitating project meetings and broader stakeholder engagement
efforts
• Coauthoring academic articles with research group members
• Co-supervising 1-3 undergraduate and graduate students engaged in collaborative
efforts
• Co-developing proposals for extramural funding to continue and expand the line of
research
Please include:
• Letter of interest summarizing interest and qualifications
• Curriculum vitae
• 1-2 writing samples e.g., thesis or dissertation, term paper, or manuscript for
publication
• Please be prepared to share contact information for three professional references
at time of interview.
Job Opportunities
Michigan State University is Seeking W.K. Kellogg
Foundation Endowed Chair in Food and Society and
Director, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems
The Department of Community Sustainability (CSUS) and Center for Regional Food
Systems (CRFS) at Michigan State University (MSU) are pleased to announce that
we are seeking applications for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Endowed Chair in Food
and Society and Director, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems.
The successful candidate will build on the state and national presence and
reputation of CRFS as an exceptional food systems outreach and research center
that serves the common good, generating new knowledge and applying it in practical
ways to benefit communities and address complex societal challenges.
The search committee will begin reviewing applications on March 1, 2022 and
continue until a suitable candidate is selected. For more information and to apply
click here.
UA Campus Pantry
Please Remember to Support our Campus
Pantry
The mission of the UA Campus Pantry is to alleviate hunger in the UA Wildcat
community by providing food assistance to those in need. On average, 1 in 3 college
students experience food insecurity at some point in their academic career. The
Campus Pantry helps to reduce this statistic by providing supplemental groceries to
students in need. In addition, food insecurity looks different for all students.
Sometimes it can be a lack of access to transportation, lack of financial resources or
simply not having enough or nutritious foods.
For more information, including how to donate, please visit
the Campus Pantry website.
Send Us Your News!
Do you have a piece of news you would like to circulate on the CRFS newsletter?
Do you have a new book out? Won an award? Recently wrote a public-facing essay,
an op-ed, or appeared in an interview? We'd love to share your news and keep our
network informed of each other's successes, recent work, and/or initiatives. Send
your news items for inclusion in our newsletters to Center for Regional Food
Studies Assistant Director, Laurel Bellante.
CRFS Blog Submissions
The CRFS blog aims to highlight the diversity of teaching, research, and service
happening around food within our community. We invite submissions of 500-700
words by faculty, staff, and students, as well as community members. We are also
open to proposals for photo essays, video compilations, and/or interviews. Submit
your ideas or questions to Center for Regional Food Studies Assistant
Director, Laurel Bellante.
Please visit the Food Studies
Website for more information about
the Bachelor of Arts in Food Studies.
Please visit the Nutrition and Food
Systems Website for more
information about the Bachelor of
Science in Nutrition and Food
Systems.
