06.01.22

Around The Farm

Incorporating Environmental Justice at the UW Farm

By Kelsey Borland, UW Farm Environmental Justice Intern, Environmental Sciences and Resource Management Major, College of the Environment

As the Environmental Justice Intern for the Spring quarter, it was my goal to host an event to introduce people to the Farm and have them feel welcomed. The intended guests for this event were people of color, and specifically, registered student organizations focusing on marginalized identities. In recent history, outdoor spaces have been viewed, and statistically found, as white spaces. According to the 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, it was found that 72% of outdoor recreationalists were white. 

According to KangJae "Jerry" Lee, an assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, the history of public park systems and current prejudices against people of color reinforce each other and prevent greater participation from people of color. The reasons for this extend beyond the fact that people of color are three times more likely than white people to live in areas with no direct access to nature.

Beginning with slavery, a long history of racial oppression, including job discrimination, redlining (the Federal Housing Administration's refusal to insure mortgages in and near Black neighborhoods), and a lack of adequate housing, have resulted in an income disparity between people of color and white people. People of color have higher unemployment rates and lower income levels, resulting in less disposable income for outdoor recreation trips. If you have a low income, you may not have enough vacation time to visit state and national parks.

Violence and harassment against people of color participating in outdoor activities isn’t rare either. A prime example of racial harassment in the outdoors was the incident targeting Christian Cooper in Central Park. There have been fatal instances too, including the killing of jogger Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. These incidents involving two Black men are clear examples of the not-so-subtle discrimination that minorities face in public spaces across the United States. There are a lot of factors that influence this trend, and we should consider this in the College of the Environment, and specifically at the UW Farm. 

This week, we hosted an “Open House'' event. The Open House included a tour of our site at Center for Urban Horticulture, a discussion about food sovereignty, environmental justice, diversity, and inclusion, and a seeds and starts giveaway. While we were an intimate group, I believe that we created connections between the UW Farm and the amazingly diverse Registered Student Organizations at our university, and that it started a conversation on how to make the UW Farm more inclusive and accessible for everyone.

More resources:

Borunda, A. (2021, May 4). People of color 3x more likely to live in 'nature deprived' U.S. neighborhoods. Science. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/how-nature-deprived-neighborhoods-impact-health-people-of-color 

Gosalvez, E. (2020, December 14). Nature gap: Why outdoor spaces lack diversity and inclusion. College of Natural Resources News. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2020/12/nature-gap-why-outdoor-spaces-lack-diversity-and-inclusion/?utm_source=canva&utm_medium=iframely

Gross, T. (2017, May 3). A 'forgotten history' of how the U.S. government segregated America. NPR. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america

Outdoor Foundation. (n.d.). 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2015-Outdoor-Recreation-Participation-Report_FINAL.pdf

News and Noteworthy:

Beacon Hill Food Forest Explores Summer Camp
When: Monday, July 11th – Friday, July 15th, 9:00 am- 3:00pm
Where: Beacon Hill Food Forest
Hosted by: BFF (Beacon Hill Food Forest)

Explore nature and farming @ Beacon Food Forest (BFF) in a positive, structured, outdoor educational experience! Observe and learn about plants, fungi, bees & birds; forage safely; build healthy soil; plant; and harvest food to help others in our community. An opportunity for kids to have fun connecting with the Earth and food in healthy ways.

Find our more and register for this camp here.

Foraging Walk: Early Summer Medicinal Plants
When: Tuesday, June 14th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Where: Discovery Park, South Parking Lot
Hosted by: The Adiantum School of Plant Medicine

We will be focusing on medicinal plants and their uses, but we will also mention some edible plants, as there is often much overlap there. This particular walk will encounter nettle seeds, rose, yarrow, saint john's wort, fir tips, trailing blackberries, red elder, poison hemlock, Indian plums, and so many more wonderful plants for us to nerd out about. We will meander through the south end of the park, learning to identify, harvest and use various plants of the season.

This walk will be led by Natalie Hammerquist, who is a local herbalist and forager who teaches at the Adiantum School of Plant Medicine.

Find out more about this event and register here.

Agriculture and Food Systems Employment Opportunities:

• Seasonal Farm Program Assistant, Pike Place Market 
• Red Dog Farms – Field Crew
• Oxbow Farm – Multiple
• WSDA Organic Programs – Inspectors
• 21 Acres – Multiple
• Tonnemaker – Field and Farm Stand Crew
• Cascade Markets – Market Manager
• Carnation Farms – Director of Sustainable Agriculture
• Common Ground Farms – Assistant Camp Director
• Kirsop Farm – Veggie Crew
• Pacific Coast Harvest – Food Aggregator and Driver

Food Access Resources

The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to nearby food banks. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.  

• UW Food Pantry: The UW Food Pantry | Any Hungry Husky (washington.edu)
• Northwest Harvest Food Donation sites: Public Drop Sites – Northwest Harvest
• University District Food Bank: Donate Food and Items – University District Food Bank (udistrictfoodbank.org)
• Food Lifeline: Volunteer – Food Lifeline

Help The Farm Grow!

Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online

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The UW Farm
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Box 354115

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