Food Justice Initiative

Race, Climate and Food Program

A program in practical agriculture and the racial injustices and climate conditions that continue to shape our food system.

Racial Justice

Photograph from the North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy Stock Photo

Students explore the history of racial injustices with regards to land ownership and food access and how this has shaped which people have acquired wealth and maintained access to healthy food in the present day.

Climate Change

With climate change expected to shift the agricultural picture and have a larger impact on low income earners and communities of color, students learn about what we can do to ensure equitable outcomes.

Farm Action

Students take their learning literally into the field. We use a small farm to empower students to take sustainable action and positively impact our community. They plant healthy, culturally-appropriate food and have agency in all aspects of planning from sowing to distribution.

Local Context

Manuel Emerald with daughter Emily. 1942. Courtesy Bee Emerald

Cape Cod forms a major backdrop to this program given the rich agricultural history and cultural diversity of our land stewards. In order to make informed choices about the future, students need to know their neighbors, feel connected to their history, and know what impact they can have.

Collaborations

So far in this program we have been fortunate enough have been working with the following groups:

Supporters

We are in the debt of a number of amazing organizations who have supported the establishment of this program.

Firstly, we received a significant grant from the Falmouth Education Foundation (FEF). This funded most of the start-up costs including the greenhouse, bed lumber, tools and classroom resources. FEF does amazing work in our community and we thank them for seeing the potential in our program.

Other organizations who have supported us:

Eastmans Hardware for tool donations and deep discounts.
Eight Cousins Bookstore for advice and discounts
Lawrence Lynch Corp for donating materials.
The Town of Falmouth Department of Public Works for clearing trees, grading the area for construction, and providing other materials.
Onset Datalogging for donating a significant portion of our weather station hardware and installation.
Mid Cape Home Centers for discounted lumber.

We have also enjoyed worked with:

In the press

You can learn more about this project in the following articles:

Memorandum of Understanding

The full text of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Food Justice Initiative and the Falmouth Public Schools can be found here

Race, Climate and Food @ FHS