ASU graduate students gather in nation's capital for immersive food policy week

In early May, a group of Arizona State University students found themselves hungry — not for food itself, but food policy. Their hunger pushed them to consume a week of panels, meetings, conversations and learning in the nation’s capital.

The students, who are all a part of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, joined each other for an immersive week of programs in Washington, D.C. Although offered through ASU Online, the program offers two immersive, in-person trips: one to Arizona and the other in Washington, D.C.

As put by Paloma Jones, a student earning her graduate certificate in food policy and sustainability leadership, the two immersive experiences reflect the dual nature of food policy: the rural farms and farmers, and the policies that directly affect them.

“Even though they feel completely separate from each other — and literally are, geographically — they have to kind of work together,” Jones said. “And that's pretty much the point of this program: You can't make policy or do policy without thinking about the people your policies affect.”

Attendees hail from states and cities across the country — from New York City to Oakland, California. According to students, the two events help bring them together and also get them in front of people they otherwise might not have the opportunity to meet.

“It’s the perfect blend of being online and in person,” said California-based student Kristy O’Brien, a student in the center’s Master of Science in sustainable food systems program. “It's very convenient being online, but there's some things that you cannot get unless you're in person, and we get that.”

O’Brien and her fellow classmates attended a session of panels that focused on sustainable food systems from three different angles:

• A panel on food policy, featuring representatives from Driscoll’s and the International Fresh Produce Association, who discussed the future of international trade
• A panel on food lobbying, where two lobbyists discussed the evolving role and challenges that lobbyists face under the lens of transparency, trust, data-driven arguments and relationship building
• A panel on food nonprofits, where panelists from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, ReFed and Consumer Reports discussed political stagnation, possible career paths for students and how AI is impacting research

Each panel featured speakers who met students right where they were at, opening a door of possibility for a future career pathway.

“That's the beauty of this immersive (program),” O’Brien said. “We get to talk to a bunch of different people and decide, you know, ‘Hey, is that cool?' or, 'Do I want to do that?’”

And although the focus of the week in Washington, D.C., was on food- and agriculture-related policy pathways, it also allowed students to engage in face-to-face conversations and engagement with fellow classmates. The sense of community, and the relationships built between students, was a part of the program that students felt couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.

“When I first came in, I was a little nervous because I'm a lot older than everyone else, but that has never been an issue,” said O’Brien, recounting how she and her fellow classmates found themselves so deep in conversation during the week’s program that they were missing their turns winding down D.C. streets. “I just really relate and can easily communicate with everyone, and they feel like my people.”

Amid a healthy amount of skepticism and debate over the state of the United States' sustainable food policy, one consensus between the students was their role in the future of agriculture policy.

“The work that we do in this program is worth something,” Jones said. “We’re going to do the work and we’re going to be able to change something.”

Read more about the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at the center's website: https://globalfutures.asu.edu/food/.