Students, faculty and community members listened to a student panel after munching Sweetgreen salads at the Urban Agriculture Symposium Friday afternoon.
Ariel Kagan, the sustainability student adviser, moderated a panel with senior Kayla Williams, Antonio Cosme from Michigan State University and Tornia Anderson Morgan from the University of the District of Columbia. The students discussed urban agriculture and healthy food choices.
The panel was part of the symposium in Jack Morton Auditorium Friday, which was hosted by the Sustainability Collaborative at GW, AGree, the Center for Regional Food Systems, Michigan State University and the University of the District of Columbia.
Here are some takeaways from the event:
1. Community-supported agriculture
Williams, the manager of the GroW Garden, said more students have gotten involved with the garden recently, with about 350 volunteers this year. Williams said the uptick in participation is partially due to a new dining plan, forcing students to think about their food choices.
Students harvested 300 pounds of produce from the GroW Garden to donate to Miriam’s Kitchen over the summer, Williams said.
“It’s definitely a growing movement and we use that in our favor to produce as much as we can for Miriam’s,” Williams said.
She added that students can gain lifelong skills, like cooking and composting, through community-supported agriculture programs.
2. Barriers to urban agriculture
Morgan, the student from the University of the District of Columbia, said that researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered with UDC faculty to research barriers to healthy lifestyles. They found that lower income families have difficult times purchasing healthy foods because they are more expensive, Morgan said.
She also cited shortages of farmers markets and healthy food stores as potential barriers to healthy eating.
Cosme, who is originally from Detroit, said inequity and wealth distribution disparities in urban communities can keep residents from living healthy lifestyles that community-supported agriculture could help.
“There’s so many policies that expand beyond agriculture. It’s not going to get people’s water turned on. It’s not going create all the jobs that we need for such a robust city,” Cosme said.
3. Why students should care
Students should try to eat healthier because fast food and other unhealthy foods could negatively affect their classroom performances, Morgan said.
“Since we’re students, most of us have goals of graduating with great grades, and the brain needs nutrition too,” she said.
Morgan added that college students should take small steps to make healthier choices, like choosing salad over macaroni and cheese.
Williams reiterated the importance of a healthy diet to students’ academic performance, adding that healthy choices can boost students’ energy and confidence.
“Community around food and cooking food and knowing your neighbors and being able to sit down and have a meal and celebrate – that is a really big important part of this,” Williams said.
