Launching the Santa Clara County African Ancestry Food Study: The Origin Story

How climate resilience training led us to listen more deeply to community voices about food, health, and choice in Santa Clara County.

We Start Gardens is excited to announce the launch of the Santa Clara County African Ancestry Food Study, a community-centered survey designed to better understand how people experience, choose, and access food in our local food system.

The origins.

This study grew directly out of our participation in the Climate Resilience Leadership Academy (CRLA), a program hosted by Veggielution in partnership with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. CRLA brought together community-based organizations from across Santa Clara County to strengthen knowledge around climate resilience, public health, and equity, while supporting each organization to design a locally grounded climate resilience project.

CRLA CBO's give their final presentations to County Public Health staff.

Through the training, our staff learned how historical and present-day policies — including redlining — have shaped neighborhoods in San José and across the county. These patterns continue to influence exposure to environmental stressors like poor air quality and urban heat islands, which have real impacts on health and quality of life. CRLA emphasized that climate resilience isn’t only about emergency response — it’s also about everyday systems, including food, that shape long-term well-being. Use this tool to see how the Climate Chage and Health Indicators for your demographic.

As part of CRLA’s community-driven approach, participating organizations were encouraged to define their own priorities and projects. For We Start Gardens, that meant listening more closely to Black community members about food — not just availability, but trust, values, culture, pricing, and choice. We wanted to better understand how people feel about local and organic food, culturally relevant foods, and the factors that shape everyday purchasing decisions.

Owner of We Start Gardens presenting at BLKC Meeting Nov 6 at the Public Health building

Why this matters: Your everyday food choices — where you shop, what you trust, and what you value — help shape the future of our local food system.

The campaign.

The Santa Clara County African Ancestry Food Justice Study is a two-part research effort that includes both quantitative and qualitative components.

• The online survey gathers broad insights about food access, shopping habits, trust in food sources, and beliefs about what makes food healthy and worth buying.

• In-person conversations and community engagement events allow us to capture stories and perspectives that add depth and context to the data.

To thank participants for their time and insight, we’re offering incentives, including the opportunity to receive a free bag of fresh produce from a local Black farm at an upcoming community event. Most importantly, participation in this study helps strengthen a collective voice in the local food system. The findings will be shared back with the community and used to inform future programs, partnerships, and advocacy efforts aimed at building a food system that reflects community values and supports long-term resilience.

Take the survey or learn more: https://www.westartgardens.com/foodstudy

The Survey team sharing a dinner together to celebrate the launch of the study.

TAKE THE 10 MINUTE SURVEY!