On May 6th, 2023, a windy and sunny spring day, I was excited to attend the 2nd Annual Small Minority Farmers and Ranchers Conference. The conference was hosted and led by Rachel and James Stewart, founders and owners of Southwest Black Ranchers of Douglas, Arizona.

Read on for an interview with Hamid Marvi, Senior Global Futures Scientist and Associate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy.

This blog captures the reflections and main takeaways of the Food and Farm Immersion course from a handful of students within this year's graduate cohort. The immersive is a key component of the curriculum for the Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership graduate certificate and the Sustainable Food Systems master's degree.

For the 20th time since 1933, Congress is writing a multiyear farm bill that will shape what kind of food U.S. farmers grow, how they raise it and how it gets to consumers. These measures are large, complex and expensive: The next farm bill is projected to cost taxpayers US$1.5 trillion over 10 years.

The close of fall semester is busy with final exams and papers along with holiday travel plans for most students at Arizona State University. For sustainable food systems graduate students, the end of the semester kicks off Professor Merrigan’s favorite course: the Food and Farm Immersion.

In December of 2022, Arizona State University Sustainable Food Systems Graduate Students had the opportunity to explore integral parts in food systems through a weeklong immersive experience across the state. Of these places, Garfield’s Garden on the Corner at Garfield Elementary School was a truly inspiring stop.

A week-long immersive tour around diverse Arizona agricultural areas brought my classmates and I to Gila River Farms in Sacaton and Casa Blanca, Arizona. Covering almost 11,000 acres, Gila River Farms provides for the Gila River Indian Community by offering a wide range of food products and employment opportunities.

This past fall, the ASU Sustainable Food Systems cohort visited the APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine facility in Yuma, Arizona.  APHIS is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture that oversees and initiates response pertaining to animal health, animal welfare and plant health.

Our ASU graduate cohort arrived at Hayden Flour Mills, our last stop of the second day on our Arizona food and farm immersion, as the sun was gently moving downwards towards the western horizon. It was peacefully quiet while we soaked in the ambiance and awaited our tour.

In early December of 2022, two dozen students from the new Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership cohort piled out of large Suburban’s, peeling off their extra layers from the early morning as they adjusted to the warm, sunny, and welcoming weather of central Arizona.

Looking to make a difference in your community and get more involved with the Phoenix local food system? Look no further. Here is a list of some great places to volunteer in and around ASU. This list is regularly updated, so if there is something you think is missing, don’t hesitate to email us at foodsystems@asu.edu!

The 2022 Sustainable Food Systems graduate cohort includes individuals from different states, professional backgrounds, and experiences. The program's administrators brought us to Arizona for a week to observe agricultural operations and meet with stakeholders.