Decolonizing Food, Consciousness, Culture and Community A new food system emerging through healthy relationships and establishment of local living economies

Decolonize?  Yes! Colonialism destroys the autonomy of communities for self determination around food, health, economy, public policy, livelihood. Decolonizing is a necessary aspect of the food sovereignty approach, which is not so well established in the U.S. or “global north” context.  Afro Eco suggests this framework is increasingly relevant here and now.

Decolonizing What to Decolonize?How to Decolonize Food We believe it is possible to significantly increase consumption of 5 or more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables per day from local sources. Consciousness We believe we can shift consciousness from an individualist survival orientation toward coherence around sharing livelihood locally. Culture Consciousness shift happens in the context of a culture shift through which people transform the industrial paradigm based on domination of nature and destruction of community toward local self determination, partnership and regenerative relationship Community From our current apartheid, we push for a relational turn, in which people in the community recognize that our fates are woven, so our processes of livelihood must be interwoven. Together, we create wealth where there is poverty, health where there is disease. Land In order to succeed we need to assert community ownership of a significant portion of the land base. If the way we use land separates us, the way we live our lives will separate us further. Land Trusts and Agricultural Trusts are an important component of decolonizing

Industrial Food System as Colonial Food System

Ruptures and Disruptions RupturesDisruptions Displacement from land Destruction of local food ways Privatization Ecological Imperialism invades indigenous ecosystems The economy is designed for others at our expense. We have little to no voice in the political economy of the industrial food system It takes us longer in poor communities to purchase more expensive and worse food The food disrupts the healthy functioning of our bodies The combination of bad food, unemployment, mass incarceration, poverty, environmental contaminants, failing equalizing institutions, neoliberal economic policy keep us in a constant state of disruption (root shock)

Local Resilience Organizing as (potentially) de-colonizing Local living economy organizing Community and Environmental Health Partnerships Local food production

What’s living New local/cultural foods restuarant New food coop Growth of farmers markets and CSAs Growing food on more than 35 market gardens 16 local black farmers now certified urban farmers Community Coalition organizing to co- produce community health and wealth Sustainable Food labs bring community together to nourish radical imagination Increasing connections and consciousness about local food and community health through the food system

What’s next? Deeper organizing Facilitation of prototype of local living economy Land trust/agricultural trust Policy framework to defend/promote community food system/s Citizen Ecological Science, developing and deepening a local ecological knowledge system

thanks  Lets De-Colonize!!!!!!!!