About Hasmik's Work

Hasmik is a Master’s Student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. In her research and work, Hasmik focuses on food sovereignty in Armenia and California. Her research involves recently displaced Armenians from Artsakh who now live in the Republic of Armenia. Hasmik looks at the ways that backyard gardens, small-scale farms, and foraging practices can generate food sovereignty and maintain cultural heritage following ethnic cleansing. In the California context, Hasmik’s role with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources involves doing research and outreach with urban farmers across California to advance policies that support justice-oriented urban farming at state and national levels.

With a background in Women’s and Gender Studies, Hasmik draws on transnational feminist frameworks and methodologies in her research. Prior to graduate school, Hasmik worked in the domestic and sexual violence prevention and advocacy field for several years. She was also actively involved in environmental and racial justice campaigns in Syracuse, New York, advocating for policies to protect farmworker rights and a bill to protect against lead poisoning. Hasmik first lived in Armenia on a Fulbright grant after college, during which time she was involved in social justice and anti-gold mining organizing. She continues similar work now with grassroots organizations that support farmers in Armenia.

Hasmik’s experiences as a first-generation child of immigrants shape her political commitments and hopes for community-led, liberatory futures. Outside of school, Hasmik loves to write, spend time with friends, and get to know the plants and fungi of the Bay Area.