Food Justice and Sustainability: A New Revolution

Urban agriculture has become one of the fastest growing types of agriculture in the United States. Establishing more localized food systems, with the aim of achieving social justice goals, has become an important strategy for developing sustainable urban food systems that try to alleviate food insecurity. Two main approaches address food security: the environmental approach seeks to establish a sustainable food system, and the social justice approach aims to eliminate poverty. These two approaches correspond to the two main dimensions of food security: the production and supply of an adequate quality and quantity of food, and the ability of people to access food.I will document the history of the Urban Farmers, a grassroots organization in Lafayette, California, which endeavoured to address both issues of poverty and sustainability in a community-development approach to food security. Its project emphasizes making the food system local and fostering the development of community.