Through the Lens of Equity

What is Meant by Equity?

Equity is the process “of developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable (not equal) opportunity for all people. Equity is distinct from equality which refers to everyone having the same treatment without accounting for differing needs or circumstances.”

Equity in the Context of the Strategic Plan

The NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan sought to center equity in the process of developing the Strategic Plan, the selection of topics (the products, markets, and issues) included in the Strategic Plan, through the individuals whose voices are reflected in the Strategic Plan, and in the recommendations included as steps toward creating a more sustainable, equitable, and thriving food system.

Issues of equity are wide-reaching and impact almost all food systems-related issues. For example, there are significant income and wealth disparities that exist between white communities and communities of color, impacting economic stability and access to resources, nationwide and in New Hampshire; land and home ownership rates are lower in communities of color; communities of color face barriers to accessing quality education, impacting economic opportunities and social mobility; and women and non-binary individuals often face systemic barriers to economic opportunities. 

Throughout the creation of the NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan, one concern arose repeatedly: farmers, fishermen, and other individuals working within the food system need healthcare, childcare, and adequate wages to thrive. While this isn’t reflected in any one recommendation, it feels important to acknowledge this reality as a foundational part of strategically planning for our food system's future. As a state and a society, we must acknowledge and address these basic needs because they are essential to a thriving local food system. Some ideas for where to start include:

> Exploring more and better options for food producers and food system professionals to secure affordable health insurance, such as through associations.  

> Addressing the increasing cost of childcare to reduce barriers for working parents, especially women, on farms and in other food businesses, such as restaurants. 

> Increasing the minimum wage to be competitive with neighboring states in order to attract a stronger workforce, especially in food service and the restaurant industry.

How Equity was Applied as a Lens

The development of the Strategic Plan was a collaborative process: participation from and engagement with a wide variety of Granite Staters was foundational to its creation. An intentional Participatory Engagement Plan, described in the Timeline section above, ensured that the Strategic Plan’s development and content reflect a diversity of individuals and stakeholders. In addition to the steps outlined in the Timeline, the Equity Advisors, UNH Sustainability Institute Fellow, and project administrators worked together to develop equity analyses for almost all of the brief topics. The purpose of this was to identify underlying equity issues and inform the research and conversation for each brief topic. 

Through that work the following questions were considered at critical moments of research and writing:  

> How does this brief topic disproportionately impact some communities more than others?  

> How do different groups experience this issue differently?  

> What are the unique challenges around this issue as it relates to equity?  

> How can we incorporate lived experience related to this topic into the plan? Quantitative data tends to tell a generalized story; whose stories are important to include?