My project studies transformative change and social movements in the local food system in response to socio-ecological inequalities that produce food insecurity, specifically focusing on a place study of the Twin Cities. Prior to the pandemic, food insecurity was already a prominent public health problem for low-income, marginalized communities, as these communities often experience higher risk or vulnerability to food insecurity. Food insecurity is associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and other poor mental health outcomes, and poor cognitive, social, and emotional development in children, contributing to health disparities among populations with lower sociopolitical or socioeconomic power (Hagen, 2020). Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and after the civil uprisings in Minneapolis during June 2020, food insecurity has spread throughout our communities as the national and local food systems have failed to sustain and meet everyone’s needs equitably, as Feeding America has projected that 15.6% of the national population experienced food insecurity in 2020, compared to 11.1% in 2018 (Hake et al., 2020).

Food insecurity is an urgent public health problem for several reasons. Firstly, food insecurity contributes to chronic health disparities. Furthermore, food insecurity contributes to a higher risk of Covid-19 as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are all conditions that increase risk for severe illness or fatality to the virus (“Certain medical conditions and risk for severe covid-19 illness”, 2021). Food insecurity is also a complex problem to eradicate, as it is constructed by the interplay of multiple socio-ecological factors at different scales (Hagen, 2020). Thus, reducing or eliminating food insecurity is not as simple as giving more food away, but requires the type of systems thinking, policy analysis, and community engaged strategies that the field of public health offers.

My honors thesis research was conducted within the Geography department at Macalester College. As a Geography major and public health student, I have used an interdisciplinary approach to this research project and thesis. My goal at the beginning of this project was to amplify the experiences and needs of communities experiencing food insecurity in the Twin Cities, document the lived experiences of those working and organizing in food justice throughout the crises, and provide place-specific propositions for transforming the local food system through systemic change. As I’ve worked on this project throughout the academic year, my goals have grown to include building relationships with food justice advocates and connecting networks and resources in the Twin Cities to collaborate and build a better food system together. Finally, my project has expanded to seek ways to centralize food security initiatives on Macalester’s campus and create spaces for intentional engagement with the outside community within Macalester.

I completed this qualitative research project by conducting two online focus groups and PhotoVoice activities with local food justice advocates. These focus groups served as a way for me to listen and learn from the experts in the field as they answered my questions about the systemic causes and roots of food insecurity in the Twin Cities and how the crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and murder of George Floyd have impacted their communities and community food security. Using PhotoVoice, a community participatory research method, participants shared their visions for transformative change and the pillars of a strong local food system by narrating the images they collected and shared with the group. After completing both focus groups, I transcribed and qualitatively coded the conversations in order to find prominent themes and answers to my research questions, leading to the completion of my thesis paper and honors defense in April 2021.

From this community-based participatory research experience, I have learned that food insecurity and subsequent health disparities are intrinsic to a food system constructed on colonization, white supremacy, and racial capitalism. The participants in my focus group created a shared vision for a food system that embodies equity, justice, healing, reparations, environmental sustainability, intentionalism, and the strength of community. One of the most important lessons I have learned is that this work is not really about the food itself, but about building relationships and community, taking care of each other, taking care of the planet we’ve been given, restoring history and land, and healing. From the research process, I have learned how to persist and adapt to all of the normal challenges of independent undergraduate research, as well as the challenges presented by conducting remote research during the pandemic. At the beginning of this project, I was not sure if there was a space in academia for my interests and passions. However, I have discovered that I have a passion and drive for scholar-activism and working to support community leaders and accomplish tangible change. As I forge ahead into the fields of medicine, public health, and food justice in my career, I know that this passion and research experience will feed into all of the work that I do, whether in a primary healthcare clinic, public health research, or regularly engaging with my community.