It can be easier to overlook the underemphasized concern of food sustainability in the community when being taught about those in impoverished areas. However, according to the North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks, 18 percent of North Carolinians do not know where their next meal will be coming from. North Carolina is also ranked one of the highest food-insecure states among individuals under 18 years of age, involving approximately one out of every four children.
To state the obvious, everyone is connected to food by the need to consume energy. But this is why a relationship and participation with the food system is essential. Calgary defines a sustainable food system to be “a collaborative network that integrates several components in order to enhance a community’s environmental, economic and social well-being.”
Most people travel to grocery stores or farmers’ markets to access fresh produce. But an alternative to this conventional method of acquiring food is a local food system. This sustainable solution makes food more geographically and economically accessible in the closer proximity.
In addition to the convenience in location, decreasing transportation benefits the environment by minimizing the carbon footprint. Fewer people between the farmer and consumer promotes more face-to-face interactions and trust, which unites the community. It is empowering in providing community members knowledge of their source of food and enabling them to understand how food is grown.
Community Food Lab, centered in Raleigh, supports these benefits as its projects promote and advocate for local food systems. Erin White, an NC State alumnus, founded the Community Food Lab as a social-mission-driven design firm to find creative solutions in the local Raleigh food system. He believes “diverse ideas lead to resilient solutions,” an idea that he has applied in the practice’s projects. Undergoing a two-mile community-based project, the Raleigh Food Corridor will promote a healthy lifestyle in the area through community gardens and other local food-based projects. Participants in the Raleigh community now have the opportunity to attend Second Saturday (April 9), a monthly exhibition that engages in ways to support local food through exhibitions, showcases, events and demos.
Other organizations in the local community working toward a change in the food system include Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Raleigh City Farm, as well as the United States Department of Agriculture located in Raleigh. And the North Carolina Cooperative Extension based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the largest outreach program located on campus. There are a lot of ways students can get involved with these organizations.
So what can NC State students do? Participation in the community is necessary to make a difference. It takes a bright individual to envision an idea of change, but the support of a community to make a difference. From helping out in local soup kitchens, volunteering in community gardens or supporting events and social missions such as Community Food Lab, NC State students can contribute to the local food system.
