Community Garden Scholar

It's been a while! With just a couple of weeks left in 2024, here's an update:  I am halfway through a second year teaching in UNH's Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, and truly enjoying it!  This month I'll be completing the CITI course on Responsible Conduct of Research in Social, Behavioral, and Education (SBE) Sciences, and I've enrolled in a UNH Women's Studies course for the January term: Women, Power, and Privilege. Very excited to dive in. I attended the NH Food Alliance Statewide Gathering in May, and the  NH Nutrition Equity Summit  in October, and was inspired by colleagues, dedicated advocates, and newcomers helping to connect nutrition, agriculture, and social equity through research, policy, and education. On behalf of Cornucopia Project , I secured a $50,000 USDA Farm to School grant for the "High School Food Systems Journey" that will support high school student farmer training and curriculum development. So thrille...

School gardening with Cornucopia Project is in full swing! In addition to coordinating this and other programs, I'm educating in the garden again and it is a blast! Please keep Cornucopia Project in mind for NH Gives, June 8-9: I am also now directing the NH Gleans network, and will be convening the regional leads to kick off this year's efforts in the next few weeks. More info: www.NHGleans.org . Dissertation writing continues, and I've been accepted to present at the Critical Autoethnography virtual conference this fall (September 30 & October 1). My proposal: What holds my creative and critical autoethnographic attention in this bubble moment is the imperative to get all these working identities pulling as a team. To grow the food and sustain the systems to survive, we need to build the soil. To build the soil, we need to commit to place. To commit to place, we need to nurture our ‘selves’ - the gardener, the builder, the knowledge-keeper, the healer, the visionar...

 Food system happenings for Spring 2021: Join NH Food Alliance on the first Friday of each month from 12-1pm for lively conversation and learning with partners across the food system. Topics come from our network partners and often lead to offline collaborations and projects, turning talk into action. Register here .

NH Food System Statewide Gathering The   NH Food Alliance   hosts this year's NH Food System Statewide Gathering, March 11-12, 2021 .   REGISTER HERE .  The NH Food System Statewide Gathering is the only event in New Hampshire bringing together individuals, businesses, and organizations across sectors who are dedicated to growing an improved local food system that works for all in the Granite State: people, businesses, communities, and the environment. Under the theme “Harvesting the Momentum: The Power of Local in Building a Reliable Food System,” the Statewide Gathering will provide a forum to share the innovative food and agricultural responses to COVID-19 that developed across the state and explore more opportunities to emphasize the “power of local” in building a resilient and vibrant future for the NH food system. The 2021 NH Food System Statewide Gathering's agenda features a variety of roundtable discussions, a   Meet New Hampshire Makers   v...

Starting this month, I'll be engaging in eight weeks of Move Forward dissertation coaching with Katy Peplin of Thrive PhD . I participated in two webinars for #AcWriMo (Academic Writing Month) in November and highly recommend this blog . This will support my research/writing plan for December and January. The other part of my plan is a shared " peer power " calendar for co-working sessions. These are open to all researchers, writers, educators, and students, with an open agenda focused on individual goals. Please join me or offer a time that works for you. Also this month, I'll be completing a Campus Compact  fusion course: Enhancing Online Education through Community-Based Learning, with Maine Campus Compact in partnership with Campus Compact for New Hampshire and Campus Compact for Southern New England. The course will be a chance to strengthen: community-based and problem-based learning pedagogy modeling online learning tools, techniques, and technologies engage...

I was invited by the  Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development  to review Food Fights: How History Matters to Contemporary Food Debates , edited by Charles C. Ludington and Matthew Morse Booker. My  review published this month  discusses how a historical perspective on food systems reveals " tension and convergence, missed opportunities, best-laid plans, and unintended consequences."  The takeaway: "By partaking in more nuanced debate framed and informed by history, readers may find themselves less inclined to accept an oversimplified version of our current food reality and instead embrace a more meaningful, messy one." If you know of an institution, course, or discussion group where this work could contribute, let's  connect.    Gerrior, J. (2020). Framing the fight: Food, history, and meaning in the mess.  Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development ,  10 (1), 1–3.  https://doi.org/10.530...

Friday, November 13: Restaurants and COVID-19 Relief  Presented by New Hampshire Food Alliance (NHFA) Online event: Register here . Subscribe to the NHFA newsletter here . Monday, November 16: New Hampshire Agriculture Policy Forum Presented by NH Food Alliance and Monadock Farm & Community Coalition (MFCC) Online event: Register here . More about MFCC events here . Tuesday, November 17: Authentic Communication Presented by Erin Allgood through Hannah Grimes Center Online event: Register here . More about Allgood Strategies here . Tuesday, November 24: Indigenous Food Sovereignty (Sankofa Series) Presented by Stephanie Morningstar through Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Online event: Register here . Get NESAWG updates here . Saturday, November 21 - Sunday, November 22: Stonewall Farm Fare Presented by Stonewall Farm. Details here . More about Stonewall Farm here .

I co-presented an online workshop on  Outdoor Learning Activities  at the  NH Farm to School Conference  on October 8, 2020. Session information available   here .

Sharing from the NH Farm to School newsletter: The School Nutrition Foundation is holding an online fundraiser to support school nutrition professionals, who are working on the frontlines during continued COVID-19 feeding campaigns. They will fund purchases of food and packaging for grab and go meals, mobile carts and kiosks for curbside service, supplies, and personal protective equipment so they and the children they feed remain safe. The campaign has already raised over $29,000 and has more room to grow! Share the Campaign The Northeast Farm to School Collaborative has recently started the #CommunitiesFeedKids campaign to recognize the importance of keeping kids happy and healthy during this time. New Hampshire communities are responding to COVID-19 with incredible generosity and ingenuity, recognizing the necessity of school meal programs and the connection to healthy and local food. Remote Learning Opportunities Schools might be closed and summer fast approaching, but education ...

Sharing these from the  NH Food Alliance : May 1st Network Cafe , 12:00-1:00pm :  The Food Alliance team will have just a few updates about a "NH Feeding NH" crowdfunding program and the new USDA Food Box program. Afterwards, we'll open it up to you to share what your organization/community is doing and connect with others. RSVP by clicking the linked title. Information for NH Farmers to Accept SNAP : We know that supply chains are disrupted and more people are food insecure - to help with this, the Food Alliance, UNH Extension, and other partners have created a simple flyer detailing how farmers can start to accept SNAP (using EBT cards) for their products. There is information about a program called MarketLink that offers FREE EBT card readers to selected applicants. Also, there will be  a useful webinar on May 6th @ 7pm detailing more about the SNAP process for food producers. Please feel free ...