Shivani and Anjali discuss preparing for the climate emergency

00:02 Hi, my name is Anjali Pandey and I am joined today by Shivani Pandey

00:11 Hello.

00:13 Hi, Shivani Pandey Before we get started, can I ask for your permission to record this interview?

00:20 Yes.

00:22 Awesome. Okay, so today I wanted to talk to you a little bit about your work these past ten years as a member of your local community. I know that you have worked in food systems a lot, so I wanted to ask you first, why did you choose food systems?

00:46 Food is a big part of my life and definitely a passion of mine, and I wanted to be involved in that community.

00:56 That's great. So what are some steps that you took to build resiliency in your local food system?

01:06 I worked with a group of people to develop a network of farmers to get more locally sourced food in our community, and worked with neighbors to teach others how to garden some basic veggies and produce. And as we started sourcing food locally as well as growing our own, we were able to also provide for those who are more food insecure.

01:32 That's amazing. Yeah. It can be one thing to be able to source enough food for yourselves, but to be able to source enough food to provide to those who are insecure is definitely an amazing feat. So that. Good job on that. I really look up to your work. What are some challenges that you faced during this process?

02:00 It was definitely a challenge to get people to adapt to eating more seasonal and local foods. People had to give up some certain foods or eat it less frequently, which was a difficult change for some people.

02:18 I can definitely understand that. We get so much in the habit of eating certain foods that sometimes changing such an integral part of our lives can be scary. But I think it's also a great opportunity to try new foods as well.

02:34 Yes, that's definitely one of the fun parts.

02:39 I know in your community, after you started doing the community gardens, you also started cooking classes, is this correct?

02:48 Yeah, we had chefs come in and teach people in our community how to cook using locally sourced and homegrown produce. It was a lot of fun for people to bring their families and friends and learn how to cook together.

03:02 That's amazing. Especially now that so many people are having to learn how to cook new or different dishes because of the changed food supply. So it's great that you guys are offering that opportunity for people to learn how to utilize different and new foods into their everyday diets. So what is a lesson or some lessons that you learned throughout the process of localizing your community's food system?

03:40 It was definitely a long, hard project, which I learned that while there is going to be a lot of challenges getting people on board with change, but it's important to have a positive yet realistic outlook on the whole situation, to have the best outcome.

04:00 Yes, that's very true. It can often be hard to be positive, and I think sometimes we get caught up in toxic positivity, especially around the climate issues that we have been facing for so long now. But I think having a realistic outlook is very important component of achieving your goals. So what is some advice that you have for the next ten years as we continue to address all these climate emergencies that we have been dealing with for a while?

04:36 I think it's really important that we continue to support those around us in ways that they need and always be there for one another.

04:47 I think that's really important. I'm glad that you said that because if we just worry about ourselves, then we're not really going to achieve the goals that we want to achieve. Human beings, we are definitely meant to support our communities and support each other.

05:07 For sure.

05:10 Is there anything else that you would like to add to the conversation before I let you go for today?

05:18 No, I think that's it for today.

05:20 Yeah, we definitely covered a lot of crucial information, so I wanted to go ahead and thank you for your time today, and I look forward to following your work into the future and seeing what great things you develop for your community and food systems around the world.

05:43 Of course. Thank you.

05:45 All right.