Michigan’s urban communities are facing multiple food- and health-related problems exacerbated by the state’s decades multi-decadal economic downturn, including the lead contamination of Flint’s water supply and substantial food deserts in Michigan cities.
These problems are what sustainability science terms systems problems, requiring that community organizations, residents and management officials collaboratively work together to understand the interconnected nature of these problems and identify specific leverage points for improving environmental, economic and social quality together.
The goal of our FFAR funded research project is to capitalize on the collective intelligence of these different actors to model the Flint food system.
– Steven Gray, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Community Sustainability