Submitted by Christy Getz on
Hmong farmers have become central in debates about cannabis cultivation and medical cannabis access in California. This community engaged research builds on 6+ years of relationship and trust building with Hmong farmers who grow crops that include cannabis. The research will explore four themes: 1) Hmong medicinal cannabis uses, cultivation practices, and traditional ethnobotanical and medicinal plant histories; 2) Hmong farmer migrations and diasporas; 3) Hmong interactions with criminal justice systems, particularly environmentally based law enforcement; and 4) capital and labor dynamics on Hmong cannabis farms. Research will be primarily ethnographic and participatory, using methods such as in-depth interviews and photovoice. In addition to both ban and permit localities in California, we will conduct research activities about other regions to query Hmong diasporas and agrarian migrations, such as Minnesota, Oklahoma, and North Carolina.
Undergraduate Research Apprentices will work on created policy and discourse timelines for the research sites, including Fresno and Trinity Counties in CA, as well as St. Paul, MN and several additional locations. These will involve searching for policy developments, such as ordinances, related to cannabis cultivation, as well as media articles regarding Hmong farmers.
Hmong language skills strongly preferred, but not required.