Indigenous/Western Knowledge: How Agroforestry Could Contribute to Environmental and Social Justice
Channel: Sophia Cahillane
Date: 2021-04-26

This video was created to complement my senior thesis: “Indigenous and Western Systems of Knowledge: How agroforestry could contribute to environmental and social justice”. Its intent is to provide a simpler and more approachable presentation of my work, so that I might reach a larger audience. Enjoy!

Abstract:
I have found that the values placed on agroforestry and the benefits received from it directly contribute to environmental and social justice for Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). Through a series of semi-structured interviews with BIPOC-led organizations and the USDA, along with supplemental materials from archival research, I determined that agroforestry has the potential to bridge Indigenous and Western systems of knowledge. These knowledge systems rely on different cultural values, typically separated between a regenerative mindset and an economic drive. The interviews have shown how various individuals see agroforestry and have supported my hypothesis that it constructs instances of environmental and social justice through reconnecting people to the land. Further research into this area could show how current land policies and practices create large systems of racial inequalities which could be deconstructed through implementation of agroforestry.