The Background

In Philadelphia, food insecurity — lacking reliable access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food — affects about one in six families. Rooted in structural inequity, land dispossession, and environmental racism, this condition has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: studies indicate that among children the rate is closer to one in three. 

Many programs address food and land insecurity at the individual or neighborhood level, but few use cultural preservation to frame their work. Fewer still place community land stewardship or environmental justice at the center of their practice. 

In this course, we examine the root causes of food and land insecurity in our city and engage directly with community agriculture projects dedicated to fighting it. Along the way, we will make deep and durable connections with each other and with the land that sustains us.

The Basics

Food and Land Security in Philadelphia is a public community-based learning (CBL) program sponsored by the Academy of Natural Sciences that includes both campus-based coursework and site-based participatory education with community agriculture partners in the  Philadelphia area.

The 2025 session runs Fridays 2:00 - 5:00 PM, from September 26th to December 5th. (There is no class on November 28th.) Campus-based sessions will take place in the BEES Classroom at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

This side-by-side course is free and open to the public. Drexel students must register for either ENSS T380-001 (CRN 14618) or GST 300-001 (CRN 14617) to receive course credit. All participants will receive a Food Security Starter Kit upon successful completion of the course.

Email steve.dolph@drexel.edu with questions.