Melinda Lupe Johnson: Safe, Equitable, and Culturally Accessible Food Systems in Washington State

This lecture highlights the current state of food systems in Washington State, the current inequitable distribution of state funding, food insecurity throughout the state, and the movements currently underway through Lilith Moon Farm Agricultural Organization to address these challenges and seize opportunities for overall food systems improvement. Projects include the creation of small food pantries in remote locations of Northeast Washington; the composition of Culturally Accessible Food Safety Training; the creation of a cell phone app to enable small food banks, farmers, and food pantries to invoice and inventory with ease; research into the challenges of Urban Agriculture; and the establishment of Eastern Washington Tilth as well as a food safety lab in Northeast Washington. There will also be introductions of the Principal Engineer of Lilith Moon and the Community Outreach Supervisor of Lilith Moon to highlight the diversity of skills that is often missing in organizations that focus on research and food systems.
Guest lecture given by Melinda Lupe Johnson at The Evergreen State College on February 23rd, 2024.
Melinda’s life has been dedicated to agriculture since she was a 4-H at 8 years old and as an FFA student later as a teenager. Melinda’s goal in life is to make the world a better place, focusing on agriculture. She is a double bachelor’s degree holder and is almost done with her third master’s degree, in Microbiology. She is a two time proud Greener, conferring a degree of Bachelor of Science with a focus in Agricultural Microbiology in 2020 and also a degree of Master in Public Administration with a focus in Agricultural Policy in 2022. As a raw dairy obsessive, Melinda hopes to advocate for better systems for all people who participate in Agriculture in Washington state. She believes in serving ALL of the citizens in Washington State and holds a special interest in rural Washingtonians and those residing on the East side of the Cascade Mountains.