The summer of 2020 has been unlike any other. For all of us at SHI, these past few months have been a time of deep introspection as we listen, read, and reflect on the state of our shared planet. Over this time, we’ve amassed a list of articles, books, and videos that have spoken to us. In one way or another, they’ve helped keep us informed, engaged, and energized about the work we do in the context of the climate crisis and social inequalities.
Wherever you may find yourself, mentally and physically, we hope that this list of resources gives you hours of nourishing food for thought and optimism about the resilient communities we can build together through climate justice solutions.
Articles + Essays
Food sovereignty activist Leah Penniman is a powerful and eloquent voice reshaping conversations about race and food access. As the founder of Soul Fire Farm, Penniman has also led the Black-Indigenous Farmers Reparations Map initiative. In this essay, Penniman writes,
“We need to think seriously about how to de-colonize and re-indigenize our relationship to the earth. It starts with the seed, with how we revere and honor the original intention of the seed… Seventy percent of the world’s food is still grown using Afro-indigenous methods that could feed the planet without destroying it. We’ve got to give credit where it’s due and we’ve got to make a change.”
In an article published by the journal Agriculture and Human Values, Elizabeth Mpofu reminds us that the Covid-19 pandemic is an important moment to reflect on how we interact with nature. As the General Coordinator for Via Campesina, Mpofu has been at the forefront of a global peasant-led movement demanding food sovereignty. Their political, economic, and social vision is an important solution for the crisis that we are currently confronting. As scientists warn that our use and abuse of natural resources increases our vulnerability to pandemics, it’s time we listen to and act upon the wisdom and experience of leaders like Mpofu.
From its origins, the environmental movement has a history of deep-seated racism. Jedediah Purdy’s “Environmentalism’s Racist History” provides a concise chronicle of this larger history.
We have been inspired by the work of activist Leah Thomas who promotes intersectional environmentalism, a form of climate justice that “brings injustices done to the most vulnerable communities, and the earth, to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality.” Read Thomas’ article, “Why Every Environmentalist Should Be Anti-Racist,” and visit this website to learn more about intersectional environmentalism.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the onset of a nationwide wave of protests, Black climate expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson wrote an exceptional piece in The Washington Post. As she writes,
“Climate work is hard and heartbreaking as it is. Many people do not feel the urgency, or balk at the initial cost of transitioning our energy infrastructure, without considering the cost of inaction. Many fail to grasp how dependent humanity is on intact ecosystems. When you throw racism and bigotry in the mix, it becomes something near impossible.”
Ángel Vivas, SHI-Panama partner farmer, with his wife.
books
Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability is an anthology written by over twenty contributing authors and edited by Alison Hope Alkon and Julian Agyeman. The anthology offers a deeper critique of industrialized agriculture by incorporating an analysis of social and racial justice. The editors and contributing authors provide a comprehensive look at the food justice movement. This movement, as the editors note, does not solely rely on wealthy consumers who “vote with their fork” but rather, seeks to build a food system wherein all communities “can have both increased access to healthy food and the power to influence a food system that prioritizes environmental and human needs over agribusiness profits.”
We are eagerly looking forward to the publication of the literary anthology Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World on August 4, 2020. In this edited collection, John Freeman brings together the voices of some of the world’s greatest authors. From Edwidge Danticat in Haiti to Margaret Atwood in Canada, these authors explore how people across an unequal globe are experiencing climate change.
films + videos
The 20-min film, Regeneration: The Beginning, produced by Farmer’s Footprint makes a beautiful and compelling argument for the importance of regenerative agriculture in the United States. Combining the stories of individual farming families who have transitioned to regenerative agriculture with compelling scientific evidence that conventional agriculture has led to an epidemic of chronic disease in the United States, this film is a must-see.
The feature-length documentary film, “The Need to GROW,” profiles the innovative work and activism of three individuals in the food justice movement. Given that conventional agriculture is a leading driver of climate change, this film attempts to focus on solutions that would enable us to feed the world without destroying the planet.
Shortly after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, the non-profit A Growing Culture began their weekly #HUNGERFORJUSTICE live broadcast to discuss what feeding the world should look like in a post-Covid world. Every week, they are live broadcasting important conversations with activists across the globe who are forging local solutions to this global issue. You can subscribe to their series here. And don’t forget to check out their archived episodes, such as Episode 6: How to Build a Pandemic-Proof Food System.
