Publication Date
2026
College
Other
Department
Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Document Type
Poster
Description
Indigenous food sovereignty is a foundational component of human and environmental health. The Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute at Cal Poly Humboldt (FSL) foregrounds Indigenous-led approaches to land management and oversees several sites adjacent to campus infrastructure. To ensure that food and basketry materials cultivated at the FSL do not pose a risk to human health, soil samples were collected and screened for contaminants. Heavy metals, phthalate esters, and hydrocarbons were not detected at levels that would affect human health or FSL objectives. This work demonstrates how community-engaged research can inform safe land stewardship while supporting Indigenous sovereignty and continued cultivation of culturally significant foods and medicines.