My name is Aria Narang and I am a rising senior at Barnard College of Columbia University. I decided at the end of last year that I was going to dedicate my summer to research on food insecurity. I am currently studying Information Science and Social Justice and a lot of my passion involves working with data that is related to social issues.

When I found Each Green Corner , a non for profit that works to create sustainable food gardens that produce culturally diverse foods, I knew that this would be the perfect space to cultivate my passions and find out more about food insecurity in the United States. Additionally, they placed me in more data related work, giving me the ability to see the success of the gardens in a more numerical sense. 

On a seemingly unrelated note, I also had plans to go to Cuba my spring semester from February to May. The minute I landed in Cuba I became instantly aware of food insecurity and food access dynamics there as well. I was able to spend time in many different cities: Havana, Cien Fuegos, Trinidad, Camaguey, and Viñales, all of which have different histories and relationships with food and access to food. 

After speaking to so many different people and experiencing the Cuban culture, I realized that I could expand my research by incorporating what I've learned about food insecurity in Cuba with the research I am currently doing in the United States. With this addition, I aim to create a more global point of view with my research and explore more areas that influence food insecurity such as politics, culture, and dynamics with other countries. 

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will share with you my findings about food insecurity both with the help of Each Green Corner and my time in Cuba and I hope to provide a little more insight into not only how we might differ, but how our problems might be more similar than we think.