22. Public Health Association of BC: Case study of anti-racism frameworks for community gardens in BC

Organization Information

Organization Name

Public Health Association of BC

Mission and Vision of Organization

Vision

A fair and healthy British Columbia for all.

Mission

PHABC promotes health, wellbeing and equity for all British Columbians through leadership in public health.

Guiding Principles + Values

Approach

As a member-driven organization, we fulfill our mission through advocacy, collaboration and engagement activities, education, and research throughout the spectrum of public health practice and systems including prevention, promotion, protection and policy.

Identified priorities

Eliminating poverty; reducing health/socioeconomic inequities; addressing climate change and healthy environments; contributing to a sustainable, equitable economy; and preventing violence.

Contact Information

• Primary Contact Person(s): Aaren Topley
• Email: sr.consultant@phabc.org
• Phone: 250-885-7752
• Address: Victoria
• Website: phabc.org

Preferred Method of Contact

• Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
• Best day(s) to contact:Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, I will be in town roughly one week per month for an in-person meeting. I will also be available by email or phone during the week.
• Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons

Project Description

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

Can You Dig It (CYDI) is a community garden initiative that was launched in 2009 to create opportunities for individuals and community groups to become included in the social fabric of their neighbourhoods. CYDI has created and supported 39 community gardens on public and private lands throughout BC's Lower Mainland, engaging over 40 partner organizations and 1,700 gardeners.

As of 2018, PHABC supports the CYDI network of community gardens. PHABC is working with UBC LFS students to better understand the current and potential landscape of community gardening in the region, so that it can strengthen its support for the CYDI network with respect to health/socioeconomic inequities, environmental sustainability, and preventing violence.

The aim of the current LFS350 student project is to research urban agriculture policies and practices in communities of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Past LFS350 student researchers have focused on municipalities outside BC to seek out community gardens that are working through dynamics of racism, classism, and other inequities as they manifest in community spaces.

Main Project Activities

This term, students will continue to build on previous LFS350 student research, and continue to seek out creative and anti-oppressive approaches to create welcoming and inclusive community garden spaces. The Fall 2019 LFS350 group collected a large amount of policy and practices for community gardens in the City of Surrey. This term's student team will develop an academic literature review and a report that includes a summary of the CIty of Surrey's policies, as well as an analysis of the policies in the context of the academic literature.

Expected Project Deliverable(s)

A written report comprised of:

• Review of literature related to equity, municipal policy, and urban agriculture
• Summary of the City of Surrey urban agriculture policies and practices (as collected by the Fall 2019 LFS350 group)
• Analysis of the City of Surrey policies in the context of the academic literature

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Well organized, independent and attentive to detail
• Ability to collect, analyze and process large data
• Strong social justice lens with an understanding of anti-oppression frameworks, including structural racism
• Understanding of community garden or community building dynamics
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness and comfort level reflecting on your own social location and relationship(s) to power and privilege

Student Assets and Skills (to be developed through the project)

• Understanding of how municipalities work through socioeconomic complexity through communities gardens
• Ability to collect, analyze and process large data
• Strong social justice lens with an understanding of anti-oppression frameworks, including structural racism
• Understanding of community garden or community building dynamics
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness and comfort level reflecting on your own social location and relationship(s) to power and privilege

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• TBD

Is a criminal record check required?

• No

Project Location

• Self-directed

Preferred Days of Week and Hours

• Self-directed

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

• TBD

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should familiarize themselves with these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

• Soul Fire Farm: Committed to ending racism and injustice in our food system
• Guthman, J. (2011). "If they only knew": The unbearable whiteness of alternative food. In Alkon, A.H. & Agyeman, J. (Eds.), Cultivating food justice: Race, class, and sustainability, pp. 263-281. Boston: The MIT Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/23088
• Ostenso, V. (2018). Planning for whom? The practice of cultural inclusion in alternative food initiatives in Metro Vancouver (read Introduction before the first partner meeting)

Additional/General Resources

• Relevant past LFS350 student report, especially Racism in Community Gardens (Fall 2019). Please request the full report from your TA
• Food System Racial Equity Assessment Guide
• Equitable Food Systems Resource Guide
• An Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism Present in the U.S. Food System, Sixth Edition