The iconic South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival in Austin, TX wrapped last month, and WhyHunger had the honor of hosting our first ever SXSW programming panel! We held a fireside chat about how Indigenous and farmwork wisdom helps advance food sovereignty and mitigate climate change with WhyHunger Co-Director of Global Movements Program Kristen Wyman, also Co-founder of Eastern Woodlands Rematriation (EWR), and Community to Community Development (C2C) co-founder, Rosalinda Guillen, moderated by our Senior Director of Communications, Debbie DePoala. As a first time attendee, there was much to take away from the non-stop, immersive experience that is SXSW, but here’s just a few thoughts for now.
SXSW and how we got there
This year marked SXSW’s 38th year, originally billed as a music conference and festival. As it grew in popularity, its scope expanded to include film and interactive media, which has opened doors for many creatives to gain valuable insight and connectivity in those industries.
Ok, but WhyHunger is an anti-hunger, food justice-centered grassroots support organization, how did we find ourselves hosting a panel at one of the biggest music and tech conferences in the world (as it recently expanded to Sydney, and this Summer in London)?
Interestingly enough, this year, SXSW decided to add Food to one of it’s key focus areas, particularly growing innovations in the food space and the role of climate change; with that, South by (as it’s also lovingly referred to) put out a call for panels dedicated to this topic . Like food justice, music is embedded in WhyHunger’s DNA, so that made for a pivotal opportunity to blend the two worlds in a harmoniously exciting way! WhyHunger answered the call and was graciously picked through their voting process to facilitate our panel this year.
Why it was such a crucial time to be at SXSW
The issue of hunger, or food security, has become more and more of a growing topic within the public narrative over the years, especially when considering the impact of the pandemic on food and economic security, as well as the rising cost of groceries impacting families today.. With SXSW introducing its Food Track as a means to uplift conversations around creative approaches to building sustainable food systems, it was a prime opportunity to fully immerse a niche audience of conference goers into a preliminary conversation around what food justice looks like; what does it truly mean and who is truly impacted? Who is part of the conversation around advancing food justice and building food sovereignty? How can farming practices mitigate climate change and what is at stake for our food security? What can we do, or how can we show up better—as consumers and producers—in order to make a difference where we are?
In our panel, Kristen and Rosalinda earnestly and eloquently answered these questions on a warm Monday afternoon in Austin, TX. They spoke on the ways Indigenous practices of growing food and nurturing our food and waterways in this country plays a vital role in the nourishment of communities. They shared perspectives from farmworkers and organizers in their communities. And how returning to, honoring, and investing in these practices and perspectives could have us all eating more nutrient dense,healthy food.
One moment that stuck out for me was learning about the significance of having this conversation in the heart of downtown Austin. Rosalinda explained how—as a result of historic displacement—much of the remnants of the historical and cultural impact of Indigenous, Mexican communities in Austin has been left through local street signs and what remains of galleries and restaurants that uphold that cultural relevance. She called this contradiction sharply into focus, telling audience members the very conference room we sat in was in a building built on Indigenous land that once held a rich history of Mexican communities and culture. The dichotomy in the experience was definitely one that resonated and made the presence of the conversation feel even more necessary. The crowd was engaged and had questions about how they could amplify these stories and have their own impact.
For us at WhyHunger, we believe hunger is a solvable issue and nutritious food is a human right. ALL people should have access. And that’s why spaces like this conference or any other summit experiences are great opportunities for all of us to get together, get educated and build a unified understanding that hunger doesn’t just happen, it’s a man-made, systemic issue. So ending hunger is not just about feeding people; it’s about eradicating the root causes that leave people hungry in the first place and investing in the true solutions that are existing right now in communities across the globe—whether that’s resources of funding, training, equipment, or whatever local folks need.
So what are the strategies? How can we move forward?
Kristen and Rosalinda left us with a few action steps that all of us can walk away with to help build the path to food sovereignty and a better food system.
Buy/support local.
One of the big takeaways was to invest in local markets and food producers. Whether that’s going to local markets with sustainably sourced foods or directly to local farms via a CSA , there are different options in every community to buy local.
Stay educated.
Opt in and stay informed on local issues surrounding the rights of food producers and consumers. One example passionately given by Rosalinda was to learn about the impact of the H2A program on immigrant farmworker communities and speak out against the program.
So what’s next?
SXSW was an overall rich, power-packed experience that I would recommend should be consumed in doses! There’s SO much to take in from the week-long event. So many panels, so little time. But one of the biggest resonant takeaways, for me, is how necessary it is for issues of food justice, food sovereignty and hunger to be explored in more detail for years to come. Our hope is this year’s lineup of Food Track discussions will create space for SXSW to amplify more of these deeper conversations around food, the communities impacted (which is, well, everyone, right?) and how we can all move forward to build a more just food system. We’d love to see more partners like C2C and EWR in this vibrant space speaking truth to power and inviting attendees to get engaged for future conferences to come.
If so…
We’ll see you in 2026.
Watch the full panel on our Youtube Channel here: