Food Policy: Urban Farmingas a Supplemental Food Source

PhD Dissertation Oral Defenseby

Bessie DiDomenica, MBASchool of Public Policy and Administration

Walden University April 17, 2015, 8am (EST)

Acknowledgements

Committee Chair: Dr. Mark Gordon

Second Committee Member: Dr. Anthony Leisner

URR: Dr. Linda Day

Program Director: Dr. George R. Larkin

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Fruit Stall in a Market in Barcelona, Spain

Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fruit_Stall_in_Barcelona_Market.jpg

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Agenda

1. Problem & Purpose 7. Limits of the Study

2. Research Question 8. Recommendations

3. Literature Review 9. Implications 4. Data Collection 10. Social

Change5. Data Analysis (2) 11.

Conclusions6. Findings (5) 12. Q & A

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Problem and Purpose Problem: Food systems in many cities are

complex and without a plan for a secondary food

supply(UNFAO, 2011). Population growth and

limited space increase the potential for a food

deficit.

Purpose: To explore food policies that influence urban farms as a secondary food

source.

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Research Question

What are the public policy limits and opportunities that support urban farming as a

supplemental food source?

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Literature Review Literature review themes:

• “Macro food policy” of food production, distribution, and consumption (Angelo et al.,2011).

• Urban agriculture and local food production (Lutz et al., 2010; Taylor Lovell, 2010).

• Urbanization and land use barriers (Lang, 2010; Morgan, 2009).

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Data Collection Methodology: Case study approach

Sample size (20):

• Food and land policy officials (6)• Nonprofit managers and staff (7)• Commercial farmers, social enterprise

(3)• Students and administrators (4)

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Data Analysis

Code transcripts, organize data into themes and patterns

Pattern matching for internal reliability,

explanation building, comparison

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Data Analysis Coding: Iterative using HyperResearch software

and manual coding

1st Round: Cursory and extensive list of codes

2nd Round: Categories: Policy & Planning, Agricultural Activities, Outliers

3rd Round: Themes and patterns 4th Round: Three major themes

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Overall Findings

General agreement with literature:

• Alternative food systems, creative partnerships

• New zoning policies for agricultural use of public land

• Political will and community support

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Overall Findings Discrepancies from literature:

• Urban farms were micro farms (¼ acre) not recreational farms (100 acres)

• Organic practices, but not certified organic

• Participants did not use the word “permaculture”

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Findings: Local Food and Land Policy

Public: Design and implement local policy

Nonprofit: Networks and community presence

Private: Active in city’s urban agriculture policies

Academic: Design curriculum and student-run food projects

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Findings: Food Production

Public: Selective funding of urban agriculture projects

Nonprofit: Urban farming was a secondary program

Private: On the ground and above ground agriculture

Academic: Different resources and opportunities to grow food

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Findings: Procurement

Public: Buy from different food producers

Nonprofit: Source food for self and others in social service programs

Private: Source local and nonlocal food

Academic: Procurement partner for large food suppliers

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Limits of the Study Case study approach and small sample size:

• Limited views on the topic • Purposeful sampling

Transferability of the findings:• Depends on community assets• Communities active in urban agriculture

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Recommendations

Ideas for future studies:

1. Design a database of best practices

2. Create a pilot project for an urban farm start up

3. Explore a network of specialized urban farms

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Implications Organizational: Support collaborationsMentor and share ideas between different

types of farmers

Theoretical: Food policies for different urban agriculture practicesFood policies based on the unique qualities ofurban agriculture

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Implications for Social Change Describes the influence of food policies on an urban food system, and the challenges and opportunities in urban agriculture.

Creates an awareness that urban farms may already exist as a secondary food source.

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Conclusions Key conclusions:

• Urban farms are evolving, need a centralized infrastructure

• Policy solutions in permitting, crop specialties

• Stakeholders are passionate and frustrated

• Local foods cannot feed large urban populations

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ReferencesAngelo, M. J., Timbers, A., Walker, M. J., Donabedia, J. B., & Van Noble, D. (2011). Small,

slow, and local: Essays on building a more sustainable and local food system: small, slow, and local. Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, 12(2), 353-378.

Lutz, A. E., Swisher, M. E., & Brennan, M. A. (2010). Defining community food security. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC06400.pdf

Morgan, K. (2009). Feeding the city: The challenge of urban food planning. International Planning Studies, 14(4), 341-348. doi:10.1080/13563471003642852

Taylor Lovell, S. (2010). Multifunctional urban agriculture for sustainable land use planning in the United States. Sustainability, 2(8), 2499-2522. doi:10.3390/su2082499

United Nations Food & Agriculture. (2011). 2011 The state of food insecurity in the world: How does international price volatility affect domestic economies and food security? (FAO Corporate Document Repository No. 978-92-5-106927-1 ISBN) (p. 55). Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2330e/i2330e00.htmWikimedia Commons. (2012).

Wikimedia Commons. (2012). Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fruit,Vegetables_and_Grain_NCI_Visuals_Online.jpg

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THANK YOU!

Source:www.google.com/imgres

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Questions and

Answers