Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development  

Duncan Hilchey

First paragraph:In this issue of JAFSCD, we wrap up our 7th volume of JAFSCD with a group of papers that focus on food systems development as a professional practice, plus our first of two installments of the Enhancing Food Security in the Northeast ... see more

John Ikerd

First paragraphs:The local food movement has emerged from the erosion of public trust and confidence in organic foods. The organic food movement emerged as a consequence of declining trust and confidence in the conventional/industrial food system. As orga... see more

Teresa M. Mares

First paragraph:The tamales that Miguel[1] pulled out of the large steamer pot as we sat down for our first interview in the summer of 2015 were a welcome treat as my stomach rumbled to remind me it had been several hours since my last meal. Wrapped ... see more

Kate Clancy

First paragraph:I've been writing for several years now about the importance and usefulness of applying systems concepts to work in food systems. Several of my JAFSCD columns have offered highlights from different reports issued by the National Research C... see more

Monica M. White

First paragraphs:In 1962, Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer traveled to the county seat in Indianola, Mississippi, in order to register to vote. This wasn’t her first time and it wouldn’t be the last. Although she had been warned with threats of violence and threats o... see more

Lisa Morano, Vassilios Tzouanas

The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD), a Hispanic-serving institution, launched an educa­tional program in 2016 that engages undergradu­ates in a summer curriculum with a hands-on project focused on urban agriculture and sustaina­bility. The goals are ... see more

Jennifer C. Hartle, Schyler Cole, Benjamin W. Chrisinger, Christopher D. Gardner

Interdisciplinary food-related research and study is a growing field in academia. Each year, more uni­versities add departments, courses, majors, and minors focused on studying food and society and the complexities of growing, processing, distrib­uting, a... see more

Henry R. Blair, Carolyn Dimitri

The local food movement has grown significantly over the past several years, producing and marketing fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat and dairy. Recently there has been a push in the Northeastern U.S. to grow small grains, primarily high-protein whea... see more

Rebecca Ligrani, Kim Niewolny

Community food work is a framework for under­standing the interconnections and complexities of food systems issues such as farm sustainability, food access and health equity, environmental resiliency, and social justice. An emerging yet overlooked perspec... see more

Christy Anderson Brekken, Melissa Parks, Matthew Lundgren

Local and regional food marketed through direct and intermediated channels has been increasing in the U.S., with studies of producers and consumers conducted at different places and times illumi­nating the trend. Oregon producers and consumers have shown ... see more

Kim Niewolny, Michelle S. Schroeder-Moreno, Garland Mason, Amanda McWhirt, Susan Clark

Community food security (CFS) has a robust history as a social movement addressing the politics and practice of food access and availability. While CFS advocacy and policy activity are closely connected to grassroots efforts, the academic community has su... see more

Rachel J. Weil, Erin M Silva, John Hendrickson, Paul D. Mitchell

As regional food purchasing continues to gain consumer interest, an increasing number of diver­sified vegetable farms have emerged to meet market demand. Many of the small- and midscale vegetable farms selling into local markets, however, face continued c... see more

Nathan A. Rosenberg

While researchers have extensively studied the growth in the number of small farms between 1982 and 2012 reported in the Census of Agriculture (COA), there has been little discussion of trends among farm operators who do not sell any agri­cultural product... see more

Christian J. Peters, Kate Clancy, C. Clare Hinrichs, Stephan Goetz

The Enhancing Food Security in the Northeast (EFSNE) project started in 2011 to explore the potential for regional food systems to improve food security in the Northeastern U.S. Building on the nationwide interest in local food systems, EFSNE researchers ... see more

Kate Clancy, Alessandro Bonanno, Patrick Canning, Rebecca Cleary, Zach Conrad, David Fleisher, Miguel Gómez, Timothy Griffin, Ryan Lee, Daniel Kane, Anne Palmer, Kristen Park, Christian J. Peters, Nicole Tichenor

The market basket chosen for the Enhancing Food Security in the Northeast (EFSNE) project was one of its major tools, as its contents served as the subject of a variety of analyses across the research teams. The interdisciplinary systems project studied m... see more

Kathryn Z. Ruhf, Kristen Devlin, Kate Clancy, Linda Berlin, Anne Palmer

Note: This is a JAFSCD commentary; it was not peer-reviewed.Complex projects must manage many challenges, including how to communicate about them. In this commentary, we present and assess the extension and outreach objectives, activities, challenges and ... see more

Anne Palmer, Raychel Santo, Linda Berlin, Alessandro Bonanno, Kate Clancy, Carol Giesecke, C. Clare Hinrichs, Ryan Lee, Philip McNab, Sarah Rocker

Emphasis on local foods and local food systems has often meant that the importance of other scales goes unrecognized or underappreciated. While each scale has limitations, some food system experts now assert the benefits of the regional scale for its abil... see more

Michelle Wander

First paragraphs:Farm to Table: The Essential Guide to Sustainable Food Systems for Students, Professionals, and Consumers by Darryl Benjamin, sustainable food system educator and activist, and chef Lyndon Virkler, dean of the New England Culinary Insti­t... see more

Parke Troutman

First paragraphs:The food movement keeps returning to a hand­ful of themes: the industrialization of food, the promise and challenges of local food, the shenanigans of large corporate players and the like. Rare is a work like Chin Jou’s Supersizing Urban ... see more

Susan L. Valentino

First paragraph:I have been frustrated by the lack of in-depth food and nutrition information available for both teaching and research regarding the effects of food on human health; hence I have been search­ing for tools that I can use to help educators, ... see more

Emily Nink

First paragraphs:In a year defined by political turmoil and policy surprises, food justice activists are emerging from a new phase of strategic visioning for broader growth and deeper impact. The recent political shift at the federal level (and its exposu... see more