Appalachian Food Justice Institute Programs

The Appalachian Food Justice Institute (AFJI) is a collaborative educational program hosted by the WVU Center for Resilient Communities, and its community partners in West Virginia. 

Now in its fifth year, AFJI prepares student leaders to meaningfully engage in local and regional food system development bringing lessons from social movements advancing food sovereignty and the right to food across the world to the critical community food security work currently underway in the Appalachian context. Appalachian Food Justice Seminar - Over the course of a week of interactive pedagogy, participants develop leadership and planning skills while learning about the political economy of the food system, historical injustices associated with it, the instrumental role of food policy in reinforcing or addressing those, the relationships between food production and food consumption, nutrition assistance and food insecurity, the difference between profit driven and cooperative food systems and the impacts of climate change on food system futures. Local Farm and Food Hub Internship - The CRC also offers students opportunities for hands-on experience with food and farm organizations concerned with advancing equitable food networks in Appalachia. Students who apply for the paid internship will go through a selection process to join this 12 week program. In 2023 interns will be placed with Mountain Harvest Farm and Garrett Growers. We are also excited to welcome student leaders working with the WVU organic farm, the WVU urban farm, and the WVU Davis store to this year’s AFJI cohort.