Entering into a Community-University Collaboration

Reflections from the Whole Community Project

Abstract

First paragraph:

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 over the 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 ultimately instrumental 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....

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