![]() ![]() Grocery stores often overlook the communities where Farmshare sets up Mobile Markets as they tend to open stores in more affluent neighborhoods. Heather pointed out that there is a lot of money to be spent on food: regardless of income, food makes up a significant part of everyone’s budget. The markets are open to the public but specifically designed to serve customers who may not live near or be able to shop at traditional grocery stores or farmers' markets. Heather manages Farmshare’s Mobile Markets – mini farmers’ markets that set up around East Austin and Del Valle in communities with socioeconomic or geographic barriers to accessing healthy food. Now she wants to ensure that others can access healthy, affordable food grown in their own community. Heather’s professional background began in agriculture, and it wasn’t until she was actually working on a farm that she tasted truly fresh produce that hadn’t been shipped from across the country. Heather Helman is the Food Access Director at Farmshare Austin, a local non-profit whose mission is to grow a healthy local food community by increasing food access, teaching new farmers and preserving farmland. This may be the only industry that has the power to transform social, economic, and environmental issues all at once, and Alexis and his community are trying to do just that. He knows that although large-scale, industrial food production can have a negative impact on the environment and people who grow it, with this comes a great opportunity to make positive change. Having them engage in this work that’s timely and relevant inspires them to keep on this track”.Īlexis hopes to help others understand the interconnectedness of food to many other societal issues. “My students are growing up in an era where they are dealing with the consequences of what we did in the last generation, and they can feel burdened by this. ![]() Food systems have the greatest impact on our planet, but also the greatest potential to move toward regeneration.Īlexis is driven to do this work because he knows he can truly make a difference, and he shares this sentiment with his students. Though it’s easy to feel disheartened, Alexis sees an enormous opportunity for change. ![]() The type of agriculture practiced here is often detrimental to the health of the planet and specifically to this region: residents of the Rio Grande Valley are forced to deal with the effects of pesticides, herbicides, agricultural waste, and pollution. The food is traveling many miles to feed the rest of the country and is inaccessible to the very people who grow it. He reported that although the Valley produces 240% of the food it actually requires to feed its residents, it isn’t staying local. This is true in the Rio Grande Valley where Alexis is based. Many of the places that produce our nation’s food suffer from the highest rates of food insecurity and diet-related disease. As a professor, Alexis’ work is multifaceted – including teaching courses, leading research that involves a 5-acre working farm, and codirecting the Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement.Īlexis considers one of our greatest challenges to be the impact of food production on farmers and farm workers. Alexis Racelis is an Associate Professor at the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at UT Rio Grande Valley, focusing on Agroecology and Resilient Food Systems. ![]()
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