Menu
Public Engagement
My public scholarship grows from sustained involvement in the practices I study. I value learning from the experiences and perspectives of others in the community, and in turn contributing a philosophical perspective to questions that matter to them. I intend for my work to offer people tools for reflecting on the values that inform their everyday practices and thinking through choices in their own lives.
What Makes Food Local?
Public philosophy exhibit · Ann Arbor Local Food Festival · August 27, 2026
An interactive public philosophy activity inviting festival attendees to reflect on what makes food local. The project grows out of my research in the philosophy of food, especially my work on farmers markets and the meaning of “localness.”
If you are interested in bringing this project to your own farmers market or local food event, please email me at emhardy@umich.edu!
Public Market Advisory Commission
I currently serve on the Public Market Advisory Commission (PMAC) for the City of Ann Arbor Farmers Market, which serves in an advisory capacity to provide the city with recommendations concerning the Public Market.
Michigan’s Cyclospora Outbreak: Why Buying Directly from the Grower Is Safer Right Now
Bridge Michigan (Guest Commentary), July 2026.
Read the article →
SNAP Stories
Community-facing essays highlighting the role of SNAP and other food assistance programs in the Washtenaw County local food system.
I interviewed regional food assistance stakeholders, including SNAP recipients and representatives from food banks, farmers markets, urban farms, and SNAP-Ed programs.
Read the SNAP Stories essays
With SNAP-Ed funding set to expire, Washtenaw County risks losing a low-cost, high-impact program
Integrating Food Access and Preventive Care at The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor
Making SNAP Work at Argus Farm Stop
The Financial Power of Food Assistance at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market
Lessons from Old City Acres on Digital SNAP Access
Cassian Lethe, SNAP-Ed, and the Struggle to Keep Community Care Alive
Kevin Spangler’s Quarter Cow Solution
Leveraging SNAP for Health, Equity, and Local Food
Food Gatherers Keeps Washtenaw County Fed as 1 in 7 Face Food Insecurity
An Urban Farm Rooted in Mutual Aid
The story of the Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti Eco Survival Support group
Ayanfe Jamison on Food Sovereignty and the Importance of Place
Growing Hope Through Food Sovereignty
Farmers markets, youth and adult education programs, and an incubator kitchen
Farmers Market Work
I have worked for various local farms, including Two Tracks Acres, Raindance Flower Farm, and Green Things Farm Collective, vending their produce at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. I get deep satisfaction from helping people to connect with their local food systems, introducing them to new fruits and vegetables that they have never come across before, and teaching them how to use those vegetables in their own home cooking.
On Instagram, I share photos of what I’m cooking with local, seasonal ingredients, highlighting the farms and food businesses those ingredients come from.
