Food Justice and Gardening Survey

Zen Center friends and members,

The following opportunity comes through us to ACTS (Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse), of which the Zen Center is a member. Please consider taking this short survey to benefit our community.

We would deeply appreciate your responses to the enclosed short survey (5 minutes) that we are circulating to inform our organizing efforts to host a food justice symposium focused on community gardening and urban farming in Syracuse in Fall 2015. Click Here for Survey

Many local grassroots groups, organizations, and agencies have been working to support better access to nutritious foods for all people; food security and environmental justice and have become part of state and national priorities. The City of Syracuse Comprehensive Plan 2040 includes a Sustainability Plan which identifies improving Syracuse’s food system as one of five goals.

All over the country, people are working to create a cultural shift in how food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste are organized and addressed. Food Justice >is the underlying theme in much of this work.

Community and public food gardens serve as an important starting point for food justice conversations locally. Despite growing interest in garden opportunities and access to fresh, local produce, many environmental, financial, institutional, and social hurdles have hampered our community’s ability to translate this interest into effective action.

To take advantage of the growing interest in and support for community gardening and urban farming, we propose to convene a diverse group of stakeholders who can influence and support the development of improved food production opportunities in Syracuse.This group would include policy makers and planners, community garden leaders and participants, school district administration and staff, elected officials, nutritionists, health departments, community organizations, philanthropists and educators. The goals of this symposium are to:

1. share best practices and offer inspiration from successful models in other communities

2. define local needs and key challenges

3. facilitate dialogue to share information and develop collective strategies to overcome these hurdles

4. identify opportunities to integrate gardening activities and benefits into more of our community

Please complete the following survey to help us understand how such a symposium might be useful to you, what your specific interest areas are, and if you are willing to help participate in event planning committees.

Sincerely,

Earl Arnold, Robin Braunstein, ACTS

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County

Alexander Poisson, ESF Sustainability Coordinator

Matthew Potteiger, Syracuse Grows

Evan Weissman, Syracuse University Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition

Mable Wilson, Community Organizer