Biography

Fernanda Madrazo (she/her) is a second-year MPH candidate in Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her work sits at the intersection of public health practice, health equity, and sustainable food systems, with a focus on assessing community perceptions and structural factors that influence food access. As a fellow collaborating with the LA County Office of Food Systems and the LA Food Policy Council, Fernanda is leading explorative research to examine student interest in and procurement of locally grown produce at UCLA. Her project supports broader regional initiatives to meet LA County’s goal of sourcing 30% of its food supply from local producers through community awareness about local farming economies, supply chain transparency, and food sovereignty.

As a Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellow, her project will look at how UCLA students feel about eating locally grown produce and food, and what might get more of them buying and eating it on and around campus. It’s part of a larger LA County effort to source more of the region’s food supply from local farms and producers — the county’s goal is for 30% of our food to come from local sources, and this piece focuses on students as one key group of consumers in that effort. The work will involve surveying or talking with students and food providers, partnering with local government and food policy advocates, and looking into how much of the fruit, vegetables, and other food served on campus is already locally sourced. The findings will help inform strategies to raise awareness of the benefits of local food systems — including support for local farms, more transparent supply chains, greater food security, and a more resilient, fair, healthy, and sustainable food system for LA.