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Seattle P-Patch Program Report on Demographics & Participation. My Research on Equitable Engagement and Inclusion.
I am excited to see the explosion of interest and focus in Urban Agriculture and social/food justice in this region. These efforts have been gaining traction around the country as we wake-up to the realities of our current food system. Clean Greens is setting a new standard for work in the actual community. Hopefully those that are hired to bring the management and training to us represent real diversity and equity.
Will Allen in Chicago and Milwaukee; Majora Carter in NYC; Maya Wiley with Center for Social Inclusion; Norma Flores with Migrant Farm Workers Rights; and a vast array of others that will not ever be recognized for their commitment, endurance, and passion.
I have been a farmer, taught children about food and nutrition, development models, written grants, protested, and worked for free to make sure that these issues stayed on the radar. Finally I gave in...enrolling to complete my Bachelors degree, being recruited to enroll at UW in Urban Planning, and studying under food systems specialist Branden Born.
Ok, all of this for what? One, to get the information I needed to begin to address the institutional shortcomings of doing any of this work; Two, to educate myself on the "missing" pieces in my ability to communicate and evaluate existing work being done in communities of color and poverty; and Three, to play the game.
So now I am officially a researcher with license. And there are a lot of things to review, report on, and to critique as we enter what I am calling the "Pending Food Fight." What I mean by that is there is a "new" (not new because people been growing food in cities since they were built in this country for various social reasons and movements) movement to grow food locally, grow food in cities on vacant land, and a vast array of getting brown children in urban areas to recognize the value of food, nutrition, and physical fitness.
A lot of this new wave is a public health issue driven by large amounts of dollars to deal with the "degenerating conditions of minority, poor, and immigrant children" in cities. A lack of food access, obesity, limited education around food and land use, etc. etc. etc.....the usual suspects . So......let's get started.
I recently reviewed, for the third time, the City of Seattle - Department of Neighborhood's P-Patch Program Evaluation Report published this year. It is a telling and clearly stated example of the challenges facing the issue of "food justice" and the pending release of massive waves of dollars focused on making the second wave of Green Jobs Development pay planners, designers, model builders, academics, policy makers, and well-meaning social justice workers a living wage to "help" the communities left out to find their way.
The 2009 Report
In many ways the demographics identified in the P-Patch report also represents the grassroots and professional arena that manages and coordinates our local food systems. Take a look:
"Regarding Race and Ethnicity, the survey reports that P-Patch gardeners are 80% Caucasian, versus 70% for the city as a whole, 2.1% American Indian (1% for the city), and 15.2% Asian (13% for Seattle). African Americans and Latinos, however, are not well-
represented in P-Patches making up just 2.7% and 2.5% respectively, versus 8% and 5% for the city."
I am starting research on the racial and ethnic identity of the managers, providers, and stakeholders who drive local food policy, food systems management, and community engagement. As a Masters of Urban Design & Planning researcher I am seeing disturbing patterns that have infected the arts, community building, youth programming in this area.
Some of my questions, in regards to this issue, are: What types of training, professional development, business development, and coalition participation invitations are being distributed to those that are most in need of being included?
In this case it would be Native Americans, African-Americans, African Immigrants, and Latino/Chicano populations. And within this, how many are male? I ask this because along with nearly 70-80% of Caucasians being P-Patch farmers or participants, the vast majority in my experience has been white and female.
Another question in this issue is the need to be "validated" by the institution by degrees, credentials, or certifications in order to participate in this "Green Wave", something that comes naturally or has been part of the cultural fabric of communities that have farmed, gardened, or worked on social rights, access, and discrimination for decades.
I am hopeful that my research will show a different picture of what is really happening in the new food movement. If you have stories, ideas, thoughts, reflections, experiences, or a comment, please feel free to post me here and I will get in touch.
I look forward to a very lively discussion and I am committed to finding out the truth, identifying the false, and locating solutions.
Be Well
Will Allen in Chicago and Milwaukee; Majora Carter in NYC; Maya Wiley with Center for Social Inclusion; Norma Flores with Migrant Farm Workers Rights; and a vast array of others that will not ever be recognized for their commitment, endurance, and passion.
I have been a farmer, taught children about food and nutrition, development models, written grants, protested, and worked for free to make sure that these issues stayed on the radar. Finally I gave in...enrolling to complete my Bachelors degree, being recruited to enroll at UW in Urban Planning, and studying under food systems specialist Branden Born.
Ok, all of this for what? One, to get the information I needed to begin to address the institutional shortcomings of doing any of this work; Two, to educate myself on the "missing" pieces in my ability to communicate and evaluate existing work being done in communities of color and poverty; and Three, to play the game.
So now I am officially a researcher with license. And there are a lot of things to review, report on, and to critique as we enter what I am calling the "Pending Food Fight." What I mean by that is there is a "new" (not new because people been growing food in cities since they were built in this country for various social reasons and movements) movement to grow food locally, grow food in cities on vacant land, and a vast array of getting brown children in urban areas to recognize the value of food, nutrition, and physical fitness.
A lot of this new wave is a public health issue driven by large amounts of dollars to deal with the "degenerating conditions of minority, poor, and immigrant children" in cities. A lack of food access, obesity, limited education around food and land use, etc. etc. etc.....the usual suspects . So......let's get started.
I recently reviewed, for the third time, the City of Seattle - Department of Neighborhood's P-Patch Program Evaluation Report published this year. It is a telling and clearly stated example of the challenges facing the issue of "food justice" and the pending release of massive waves of dollars focused on making the second wave of Green Jobs Development pay planners, designers, model builders, academics, policy makers, and well-meaning social justice workers a living wage to "help" the communities left out to find their way.
The 2009 Report
In many ways the demographics identified in the P-Patch report also represents the grassroots and professional arena that manages and coordinates our local food systems. Take a look:
"Regarding Race and Ethnicity, the survey reports that P-Patch gardeners are 80% Caucasian, versus 70% for the city as a whole, 2.1% American Indian (1% for the city), and 15.2% Asian (13% for Seattle). African Americans and Latinos, however, are not well-
represented in P-Patches making up just 2.7% and 2.5% respectively, versus 8% and 5% for the city."
I am starting research on the racial and ethnic identity of the managers, providers, and stakeholders who drive local food policy, food systems management, and community engagement. As a Masters of Urban Design & Planning researcher I am seeing disturbing patterns that have infected the arts, community building, youth programming in this area.
Some of my questions, in regards to this issue, are: What types of training, professional development, business development, and coalition participation invitations are being distributed to those that are most in need of being included?
In this case it would be Native Americans, African-Americans, African Immigrants, and Latino/Chicano populations. And within this, how many are male? I ask this because along with nearly 70-80% of Caucasians being P-Patch farmers or participants, the vast majority in my experience has been white and female.
Another question in this issue is the need to be "validated" by the institution by degrees, credentials, or certifications in order to participate in this "Green Wave", something that comes naturally or has been part of the cultural fabric of communities that have farmed, gardened, or worked on social rights, access, and discrimination for decades.
I am hopeful that my research will show a different picture of what is really happening in the new food movement. If you have stories, ideas, thoughts, reflections, experiences, or a comment, please feel free to post me here and I will get in touch.
I look forward to a very lively discussion and I am committed to finding out the truth, identifying the false, and locating solutions.
Be Well
© 2012 Created by Jon Ramer.
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I am also a student at the uw looking at the racial dynamics of the food movement here in Seattle...If you are around and open to it, I'd love to meet up sometime and share perspectives...it sounds like we have similar passions/concerns.
saludos, magie