On being relevant. And telling the UC Cooperative Extension to bite me.

Me, circa 2011 in the old UCCE teaching kitchen in East LA.

I have a few feelings about the end of the Master Food Preserver Program in LA County. (See subject line.)

When the program was rebooted in 2011 after a 10-year hiatus, I eagerly applied. Fifty applications came in for 15 spots. So they made the class size 18 to accommodate a few more. That paints the vibrant picture of the desire and motivation behind the program. The energy around this time was palpable. That first class was a heady blend of personalities and skills — diverse and generous with a strong sense of purpose. My fellow class members are still dear friends.

So why did I leave the program two years later?

The reasonable volunteer hour commitment — 30 hours of volunteer work (which came down to a few hours a month) and 15 hours of continuing education time each year — was easy the first year. But the second year was rough. The program got shoved to the end of a very long priority list, so rather than skim along, I bid them all farewell and best regards.

The program had regional support, good momentum, and a few classes worth of volunteers ready to teach. The decision by the UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) to abandon their building in East L.A. and move to one in Alhambra that didn’t have a kitchen was a little suspect. Can’t teach without a kitchen. But we knew people with kitchens. Big ones. After a brief search, the MFPs landed at the LA County Arboretum and the program continued.

In hindsight, that UCCE move should have been a red flag. This is an organization dedicated to, “healthy food systems, healthy environments, healthy communities and healthy Californians,” and they built a new facility that couldn’t teach the communities they serve about nutrition, gardening, and safe food preservation.

I was emailed this letter yesterday. It was unsurprising and sad. Unsurprising because the messages from the leadership at UCCE were clear. Sad because I watched as friends much more dedicated than I tried to plug the holes in the boat. For every hole they plugged, UCCE drilled two more. The leadership that championed the program in 2011 was gone and the new administration was focused elsewhere.

The LA MFP program was the largest and most active in the state. But that wouldn’t have been enough to keep it going if the leadership that supports it decides it’s not worth their time. Which is essentially what happened. Malicious? No. “Shifting priorities.” Which on some level I can understand.

There are other levels though. The UCCE failed a core part of their mission by canceling the program. Especially as people are still dying from botulism poisoning from incorrectly canned foods. Sensationalist? Alarmist? Totally. And yet…

You can’t kill knowledge. And when leadership fails, they become less relevant. Ouch.

Do we need the UCCE? Who needs a giant bureaucratic machine overseeing a heartfelt and progressive grassroots volunteer team?

Everybody.

They had the ability to confirm and legitimize the knowledge we were teaching. They backed it up with research. They made it possible for us to have the authority and confidence to ensure people were going down the right road. To correct mistakes and yes, ultimately save lives as well as food. That takes work, dedication, and resources. All worth it. All needed.

Even the most silo’d government leadership eventually changes. Until then, you can’t kill knowledge. It will just be harder to share with the people who need it most.

Originally posted on Urban Schmurban.