A place at the table

UGA researchers from across campus are deeply engaged in food systems and agricultural sustainability issues around town and around the globe. UGA Research Communications offers an updated look at the social connections that provide the foundation for a wide variety of efforts to support a healthy ecosystem.

The largest remaining Saltwater Geechee community in the nation has lived in Sapelo Island’s Hog Hammock community for centuries. Today, their culture and way of life face constant threats from sea level rise and development on the island.

“The nexus between culture, land, and sustainability is so important,” said Nik Heynen, Distinguished Research Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Geography and co-director of UGA’s Cornelia Walker Bailey Program on Land, Sea, and Agriculture. “I believe many big environmental crises are happening because we’re disconnected and disengaged from the land, food systems, and agriculture.”

Heynen has collaborated with the Hog Hammock community for over a decade on a project that aims to use food and agriculture to preserve and regenerate culture, promoting responsible stewardship of the land.

“We want to make connections between sustainability, agriculture, cultural preservation, and land stewardship—and help people recognize the power and agency they have,” he said.

The group wants to re-establish heritage crops like sugar cane, Geechee red peas, indigo, and garlic and use traditional agriculture to connect their culture to the land for generations to come. Since its inception, the project benefited from a partnership with the late Cornelia Walker Bailey, a leader in the community, and her son, Maurice Bailey.

Great work. Learn more about Heynen and Bailey's projects at the links, and read further for more inspiring and creative research experiences that benefit people and the planet.

Image: Distinguished Research Professor Nik Heynen (right) and Maurice Bailey work on Sapelo Island. (Photo by Rinne Allen)