Entering into a community-university collaboration: Reflections from the Whole Community Project

摘要

When asked to tell the story of how and why I was invited and decided to join the Food Dignity research project, I found myself traveling back over a long road full of unexpected turns, bumps, discoveries, and delights. And as I began to reflect overthe five years spent implementing that project in Tompkins County, New York, I was once more awed by the countless stories to be told and knew that, at best, I could offer merely a glimpse of the wonderful and challenging experiences that were ultimatelyinstrumental in learning valuable lessons for cultivating sustainable food systems. In sharing the process and results of being part of such a unique opportunity, I hope to both inspire and challenge readers to explore the possibilities that can exist when the sustainability of our food systems places a high value on everyone experiencing "dignity" in their relationship to food—whether as a consumer, entrepreneur,farmer, composter, or activist.