We’ll explore how elections will impact the following when it comes to food security:

• Income and the safety net
• The economy (number of elections abroad, conflict, supply chain challenges, etc.)
• Climate change
• Racial and gender equity

This episode will explore the history and challenges faced by Black farmers in the United States and understand the importance of supporting Black farmers and building relationships in the food system.

In this conversation, we will explore parallels between the past and today’s current struggle for food and economic justice, and dive into how community organizing, policy, advocacy and cross-sector collaboration play a pivotal role in addressing the root causes of rural hunger and food insecurity.

Disasters test the resilience of communities and can have far-reaching effects on access to food—disrupting supply chains, damaging infrastructure, contributing to displacement, and threatening economic security. While much attention is paid in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, the road to recovery is long—particularly for communities already facing social, economic, and political barriers to equity.

As college enrollment among low-income and first-generation (nearly 1 in 3 undergraduates) students grow, many students are finding that they aren’t getting the holistic supports they need and are struggling with issues that go far beyond academic achievement. The skyrocketing cost of a college education, coupled with inflation and insufficient student aid packages that often exclude funds for living expenses—are contributing to a rampant hunger crisis on campuses.

For communities at the margins, food has long served as a tool for self-expression, empowerment, and solidarity, and connectedness—and it has been a crucial part of movements for justice and equality.

Art and food nourish our bodies and souls, and have the power to transform the way we think about the world around us. For decades, artists have used their work to inform and inspire movements for food justice and equity—using their mediums to provoke conversation and the exchange of ideas, decrease stigma, and foster a deeper understanding of our relationship to food.

Water is essential to our health and survival—both for our nourishment, and for our food to grow—and the ways we access water have the power to shape our communities. While water was once viewed as a public good, generations of segregation and racial discrimination, pollution, and disinvestment in water infrastructure projects have contributed to a water access and affordability crisis that is drawn along racial lines.