The University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s the Food and Farming Fellowship, which is funded by The 11th Hour Project, presents an opportunity “to report ambitious, long-form stories on the full range of subjects under the rubric of food systems, often in rich political, economic and cultural contexts,” according to the school’s announcement on the 2021 selectees. The $10,000 fellowships have provided $740,000 in stipends to 74 journalists over eight years.
The 2021 Fellows are: Chicago-based Angela Burke, who will report on Black food entrepreneurs; Yvette Cabrera of Santa Barbara, CA: Karuk burning and foodways; Leah Douglas of Mount Rainier, MD: unionization and meatpacking; Berkeley Journalism alum Angèlica Ekeke (‘20) of Los Angeles: Black land ownership; Denver’s Esther Honig: refugees in the meatpacking industry; Seattle’s Brooke Jarvis: the future of pollination; Bay Area-native Brett Simpson (‘21): water and agriculture in California; New York’s Kayla Stewart: Black commercial fishermen; Brooklyn’s Duy Linh Tu: sea level rise and coastal agricultural communities; and Chicago’s Carson Vaughan: eastern red cedar taking over the Great Plains…
The program has been an unmitigated success. “In its eight years of existence, the UC Berkeley-11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship has produced scores of published and broadcast pieces, birthed several books and at least one successful podcast,” Prof. Michael Pollan said. “But even more important is the role it has played in nurturing the careers of young writers and audio producers, a cadre of journalists who are reinventing coverage of the food system.”
Geeta Anand, dean of Berkeley Journalism said: “Journalism during the pandemic exposed wide gaps across the food chain in America, from the hardships of farmworkers, to the widespread need for food banks following record unemployment. Reporting on broad, food-related topics is work in the public interest. We’re proud to team up with the foundation to provide a diverse pool of journalists the resources to do it.”
Read the entire announcement.