Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development  

Naudé Malan

iZindaba Zokudla (IZ) is a multistakeholder engagement project that aims to create opportuni­ties for urban agriculture in a sustainable food system in Johannesburg. IZ implements the Farmers’ Lab, a social lab used as a transitional mechanism in a larger... see more

Deanna Lloyd, Garry Stephenson

This exploratory study investigates perceptions of the transition to certified organic production among farmers in the U.S. state of Oregon who were actively transitioning all or part of their operation to certified organic production. It examines the inf... see more

Jennifer E. Gaddis, Amy K. Coplen, Molly Clark-Barol, Allea Martin, Claire K. Barrett, Lauren Lubowicki

Alternative food practices, including farmers markets and CSAs, are often inaccessible to low-income families. Subsidized CSAs and fruit and vegetable prescription programs have the potential to decrease food insecurity, increase fresh fruit and vegetable... see more

Bruno Ferreira, Duarte B. Morais, Adriana Szabo, Becky Bowen, Susan Jakes

Tourism is frequently proposed as a strategy to revitalize rural economies. The current mushroom­ing of web platforms for the tourism sharing eco­nomy affords rural microentrepreneurs opportu­nities to capitalize on the growing demand for authentic experi... see more

Erin Nelson, Karen Landman

Food hubs create a range of economic, social, and environmental impacts through a wide variety of activities and programs. Evaluation of these impacts is important; however, many hubs lack the capacity (including time, resources, knowledge, and expertise)... see more

Christian Buschbeck, Larissa Bitterich, Christian Hauenstein, Stefan Pauliuk

Regional food supply, organic farming, and chang­ing food consumption are three major strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of the agricul­tural sector. In the German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg (population: 11 million), multiple policy an... see more

David Everson

First paragraph:It has been nearly 25 years since the international peasants’ movement La Via Campesina outlined a “food sovereignty” framework at the 1996 World Food Summit. Since that time, the broader food sovereignty movement continues to accelerate, ... see more

Joeva Rock

First paragraphs:In Food Security for Rural Africa: Feeding the Farmers First, Terry Leahy makes what he knows is an unpopular argument: that subsistence—not com­mercial—agriculture is the surest path to food security. Since the colonial era, government o... see more

Jess Gerrior

First paragraph:Issues of food systems can be cast in a glaring light that obscures nuance and polarizes dia­logue. We get closer to the truth when we pull back from our present constructions of the issues and allow ourselves to experience the dynamic, ma... see more

Paul Lasley

First paragraphs:I was first attracted to graduate school in sociol­ogy in part to help me understand the nagging question of why some people work hard and yet remain poor. When extrapolated to the community level, I was puzzled by why some communities se... see more

Thomas Schoenfeldt

First paragraphs:CARES of Farmington Hills (Michigan) is a front-line food pantry that serves nine cities. CARES is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Prior to the COVID-19 pan­demic, the CARES office included a large meeting area, clothing room, and the food pantry.... see more

Stacey F. Stearns, Joseph A. Bonelli

First paragraphs:The worldwide pandemic due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) has produced unprecedented challenges around the world. Agricultural producers were still working on farms, in greenhouses, and along the coast in Long Island Sound during the early sta... see more

Sasha Avrutina, Hanah Murphy, Eesha Patne

First paragraph:The initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was a severely disrupted conventional food system, exacerbating issues of food access for populations previously experiencing food insecurity. Simul­taneously, the number of individuals requiring... see more

Jeana Cadby

First paragraph:Craft chocolate is a model within the global chocolate industry, promoting accountability, transparency, and ethical practices, while often citing unfair labor or poor agricultural practices recognized in conven­tional chocolate. However, ... see more

Anne Palmer, Abiodun T. Atoloye, Karen Bassarab, Larissa Calancie, Raychel Santo, Kristen Cooksey Stowers

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, food policy councils (FPCs) have emerged as a critical struc­ture for organizing community-based responses to multiple food system issues. Strong relationships with various food system stakeholders have proven essenti... see more

Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Annie Hardison-Moody , Carmen Byker Shanks

First paragraph:The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has dramatically reshaped the U.S. food system and how people interact with it—more specifically, how people interact with their community food environment. The food environment is the distribution of food ... see more

John Ikerd

First paragraph:A “fair deal” was the phrase used by Harry Truman in his 1949 State of the Union address to Congress. He said that “Every seg­ment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from his government a fair deal” (Truman, n.d.)... see more

Diana Broadaway, Darlene Wolnik

First paragraph:The value proposition of farmers markets has been altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival-like features of markets put on hold, the in-person social interactions reduced, the physical flow of walk-up markets changed. Just as previou... see more

Anuj Mittal, Jason Grimm

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food supply chains operations across the globe. Due to health safety practices like social distancing, local food supply chains such as farmers markets and food hubs are unable to conduct normal operations. This paper d... see more

Steven Richards, Michael Vassalos

First paragraph:Before COVID-19, livestock producers across the U.S. had been complaining to Congress about a lack of meat processing options closer to their farms (Swanson, 2015). Publications used examples of farmers shipping their animals hundreds of m... see more

Girvin L. Liggans, Devin K. Dutilly , Komita J. Carrington-Liggans, Mary B. Cartagena, Charles E. Idjagboro, Laurie B. Williams, Glenda R. Lewis , Mia B. Russell, Veronica S. Moore, Robert Sudler, Jr.

Preventing the spread of infectious disease relies heavily upon the development and implementation of public health interventions. The requisite debate over the effectiveness of these interventions is accom­panied by discussions about which, if any, shoul... see more

Angie Mejia, Manami Bhattacharya, Amanda Nigon-Crowley, Kelly Kirkpatrick, Chandi Katoch

Using ongoing reflections from our recent work as members of a community gardening initiative, we outline relevant priorities for researchers, policy­makers, and community practitioners to examine the role of community gardens in addressing the effects of... see more

Richard D. Semba, Rebecca Ramsing, Nihaal Rahman, Martin Bloem

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased food insecurity, especially among low-income Black and His­panic families in the United States. Food insecurity is associated with poorer health and higher mortality in adults and greater risk of impaired cognitive deve... see more