Raj Patel

Leah Penniman, a Black Kreyol educator and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, joins a panel discussing food apartheid and its systemic roots. Dr. Rupa Marya, a physician and activist, emphasizes the need for deep medicine to tackle social injustices affecting health. Raj Patel connects food injustice to colonialism and capitalism, while Karen Washington shares her grassroots efforts to improve food access in the Bronx. Together, they propose actionable solutions like regenerative farming, policy reform, and community empowerment to create a more equitable food system.

Raj Patel, a research professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a panel member of IPES-Food, dives deep into the hidden costs of our food system's reliance on fossil fuels. He discusses how this connection impacts food production and socioeconomic inequalities, particularly for working-class families. Patel also critiques colonial legacies in agriculture and advocates for a shift towards sustainable, community-driven food systems. Furthermore, he emphasizes transitioning to a care economy that prioritizes equity and grassroots action for a more resilient future.

Dr. Rupa Marya, an Associate Professor at UC San Francisco and co-founder of the Do No Harm Coalition, joins Raj Patel, a Research Professor at the University of Texas focusing on food systems. They discuss the deep links between food justice and societal health, emphasizing the need to decolonize food systems to combat inflammation in bodies and communities. Their conversation highlights grassroots movements, the impacts of colonialism on health disparities, and the call for holistic approaches to reimagine health and well-being through community resilience and indigenous wisdom.