HONORING AGRO-BIODIVERSITY, CULTURAL PRESERVATION, AND STORYTELLING ASU HUMANITIES LAB STUDENT PROJECT
P R O F E S S O R C R U Z -T O R R E S P R O F ES S O R V I T U L LO M AYA D A I L E Y O F M AYA ' S FA R M CR EATED WITH THE S UPPORT OF LENNY PEARCE L I N D S E Y C H AV E Z COLLIN FREY EMMA ELLEXSON MIRIAM LARA ZAMORA D A N I E L S A N D O VA L VA S Q U E Z
G R O W I N G B I O D I V E R S E C U LT U R E S - A N A S U HUMANITIES LAB Our Humanities Lab studied agro -biodiversit y’s connection to cultural preser vation in various agricultural communities around the world. Biodiversity is the abundance and variety of plants and animals in an ecosystem, and is vital to habitat health and resilience. A g ro - b i o d i ve r s i t y, o r t h e a b u n d a n c e a n d va r i et y o f agricultural products and seeds, is a vital sub-set of b i o d i ve r s i t y. I t e n s u re s t h e va r i et y a n d va r i a b i l i t y o f animals, plants, and micro-organisms that sustain key functions of an agricultural ecosystem.
communities whose economic livelihoods depend on production, and whose cultures are rooted in place-based c u l i n a r y t r a d i t i o n s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y, o rg a n i c a n d t r a d i t i o n a l farming and food practices have deteriorated with the rise of mechanized farming, chemical fer tilizers, and monoculture fields. As agribusiness has pushed their efficiency and optimization models on farmers around the world, the stability of land, culture, and food access has weakened. W h e n w e s p e a k o f p l a c e , w e s p e a k o f o u r “ r o o t s .” T h e struggle for agro-biodiversity – land, seeds, food – is the fight for value in a world that has made a habit of overlooking. Land, and the farmers who steward it, are strongholds of our sense of humanity and care. It is said t h a t ‘ i f y o u e a t a l o n e , y o u d i e a l o n e ’, b u t i n a w o r l d t h a t often forgets its roots, we might remember — by reconnecting to the Ear th and our food, we also reconnect to each other. In a Humanities Lab, students create projects that address real-world social challenges. In our Growing Biodiverse Cultures lab, our student group is honoring t h e f o o d t r a d i t i o n s o f o u r A S U C o m m u n i t y . We w a n t t o celebrate the diverse range of cultures and experiences at ASU through food, while also highlighting the food access issues that university students face.
A S U C O M M U N I T Y ’ S F O O D A C C E S S & C U LT U R A L FOOD EXPERIENCES The “Starving Student” image has gone unquestioned for far too long. U n i ve r s i t y s t u d e n t s a re u n i q u e l y v u l n e r a b l e t o f o o d i n s e c u r i t y. L i m i t e d food access worsens nutritional, academic, and mental health outcomes for students. Many students cite financial restrictions, inaccessibility to culturally relevant foods, and lack of cooking experience as barriers to their food s e c u r i t y. To g a i n s o m e i n s i g h t s i n t o A S U s t u d e n t s ’ r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h f o o d a c c e s s and cultural foods, we asked par ticipants to share their experiences PA R T I C I PA N T S U R V E Y R E S U LT S : 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree “I enjoy cooking, and am confident in my culinar y abilities” “I experience food insecurity (limited or uncer tain access to adequate food due to financial constraints or other factors”
hands-on (gardening, farming, ranching, etc)” “I know where my food comes from (where food is grown, which farmers are involved)” “I shop for a majority of my food locally (farmers markets, Community Suppor ted Agriculture, local gardens, etc)” “I feel connected to my cultural food traditions and heritage (appreciate my culture’s culinar y traditions, know how to prepare cultural dishes, etc)” “I believe cultural foods are valuable, and should be both celebrated and preser ved”
LOCAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS & COMMUNITY MEMBER S FAC ING FOOD INSECURITY H O W T O A P P LY F O R S N A P A S A S T U D E N T REQUIREMENTS: E N R O L L E D A S A S T U D E N T I N A H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N I N S T I T U T I O N AT L E A S T H A L F T I M E E M P L OY E D W I T H A N I N C O M E U N D E R F E D E R A L P O V E R T Y L E V E L O R $ 2 , 2 4 8 A M O N T H ($26,976 A YEAR) E M P L OY E D 8 0 H O U R S A M O N T H O R A S A S T U D E N T W O R K E R W H E R E TO A P P LY ; A R I Z O N A W E B S I T E : W W W. H E A LT H E A R I Z O N A P L U S . G O V O U T O F S TAT E : H T T P S : // W W W. F N S . U S D A . G O V / S N A P/ S U P P L E M E N TA L - N U T R I T I O N A S S I S TA N C E - P R O G R A M LO CA L FO O D B A N KS TEMPE A S U P I T C H F O R K PA N T R Y : H T T P S : // W W W. P I T C H F O R K PA N T R Y. O R G FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 215 E. UNIVERSITY DR TEMPE AZ 85281 TEMPE COMMUNIT Y ACTION AGENCY ( F O O D PA N T R Y ) : H T T P S : // T E M P E A C T I O N . O R G / G E TH E L P/ F O O D - S E C U R I T Y / 2 1 4 6 E A PA C H E B LV D TEMPE AZ 85281 MESA EAST MESA FOOD BANK: 752 S ELLSWORTH RD MESA AZ 85208 S T. V I N C E N T D E PA U L : 4 9 W B R O A D WAY R D MESA AZ 85210 PHOENIX S T. M A R Y ’ S F O O D B A N K H T T P S : // W W W. S T M A R Y S F O O D B A N K . O R G / 3131 W THOMAS RD PHOENIX AZ 85017 H O N O R H E A LT H D E S E R T M I S S I O N F O O D BANK H T T P S : // W W W. D E S E R T M I S S I O N . C O M / F O O D-BANK/ 9229 N 4TH ST PHOENIX AZ, 85020 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES UNITED FOOD BANK H T T P S : // U N I T E D F O O D B A N K . O R G / ARIZONA FOOD BANK NET WORK H T T P S : // A Z F O O D B A N K S . O R G / ARIZONA FOOD HELP H T T P S : // A Z F O O D H E L P. O R G / F I N D - F O O D NOW/
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