Student Spotlight- Dewansh Matharoo

Tell us a bit about yourself

I came to UC Davis and the EPM program to learn as much as I could about food systems from as many lenses as time would allow. As a rising second-year working on specializations in Environmental Justice and Sustainable Agriculture, I am (joyfully!) surprised by how much I have been able to grow as a scholar in the last year. I have also found myself moving closer to my aim of working at the grassroots level with communities on food security, access, and justice.

You’ve been selected as a GSR as part of the EJ Apprenticeship Program. What is your project focused on? What are the biggest takeaways you’ve learned so far?

I was delighted to have been paired with the Mobility Unbound Network and Equivolve as an EJ Fellow. My work over the summer involved assisting with the planning and creation of a roadmap for the Mobility Unbound Network. Working closely with scholars and practitioners as experienced as Adonia Lugo, Naomi Doerner, and Sarah McCullough revealed the complexities of actualising critical and reflective environmental justice work with mobility justice and EJ practitioners all across the country. Seeing how much care and thought goes into planning and working with communities and various partners also made clear the time consuming processes that underlie meaningful, action-oriented community-building. 

What do you hope to do when you complete your MS degree?

I chose to study environmental policy to acquire the uniquely challenging language that often distances policymakers from the needs and desires of communities. With a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of the policy world, I want to be able to work with and in communities to design food policies that place the needs and knowledge of people first, allows us to have agency and responsibility over our food and health, and creates the conditions for an expansive well-being and resilience. 

Can you tell us about your work at the Student Farm? 

The Student Farm has been a profoundly important part of my time in Davis. Beyond being a space where my core beliefs and values are shared and practiced, I have found at the Student Farm visions of a food future deeply committed to people and the land. I work with Fresh Focus, a food justice and access program that distributes organic produce to communities for free and grows culturally relevant food. I am the program’s Community Partnership Lead, and I interface with partners such as Native Nest on campus and Woodland Food Closet in Yolo County. This year, I hope to strengthen our relationship with partner communities, and bring the various food justice organizations on campus to think, plan, and organize together.  

What are your three favorite things about UC Davis?

I am so grateful we get to be close to cared for natural spaces such as the Arboretum and the Botanical Conservatory. I am also a big fan of the Pantry and the Aggie Eats food truck that serve the community and increase food access on campus. Finally, and I might be biased, but the Student Farm! It’s an incredibly warm and welcoming place and I encourage everyone to take a walk through the ecogarden and participate in our events.

What advice would you give to incoming students about starting the program?

This is advice incoming students will perhaps receive from everyone they meet, but the program is only as much as we make of it. In fact, I have learnt just as much, if not more, engaging with communities, projects, and networks outside the program. People in Davis and the university are incredibly driven and collaborative, and if you have an idea or wish to be included in a project, find people and reach out to folks, and when there is no one doing what you think the community needs, start it yourself! You would be surprised how many people will give you their time, energy, and bright minds to make your ideas come to life.

The views, opinions and recommendations expressed in published in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management at UC Davis.