Alexina Cather from the NYC Food Policy Center at Hunter College spoke with our Executive Director Aziz Dehkan about his commitment to food justice, community organizing, and the ambition of the New York City Community Garden Coalition.
Aziz Dehkan, Executive Director, New York City Community Garden Coalition
"I think we need accessibility. I’m not sure the city has a coherent food policy and what I see are pockets of it. Going back to what Karen Washington said—we still have a system that is some kind of food apartheid. Farmers’ markets and community gardens are critical in this piece. When you go to community gardens they are growing vegetables and leafy greens. It’s amazing to see what they can do in those spaces, and what’s unbelievably beautiful to see is the mixing of different ethnicities and the mixing of ethnic food. The way people are growing—that’s food policy. I think food policy is really not coming from the city, not from the government; it’s coming from we the people—from community gardeners, from people in the food policy world. I think that’s where we really are at—truly grassroots efforts building within the community—finding your own food sources and making ways to be able to provide good sources of nutritious healthy food." -- Aziz Dehkan
READ THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW AT NYC FOOD POLICY CENTER
The New York City Food Policy Center develops intersectoral, innovative and evidence-based solutions to preventing diet-related diseases and promoting food security in New York and other cities. The Center works with policy makers, community organizations, advocates and the public to create healthier, more sustainable food environments and to use food to promote community and economic development. Through interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, evaluation and education, we leverage the expertise and passion of the students, faculty and staff of Hunter College and CUNY. The Center aims to make New York a model for smart, fair food policy.
