Mid-Atlantic Farm-Based Educators Network. Farm-Based Education Association (Network) : Maryland.
Social Network Analysis of the Farm to Plate Network, 2011-2012
description
Transcript of Social Network Analysis of the Farm to Plate Network, 2011-2012
Social Network Analysis of the Farm to Plate Network, 2011-
2012
Drake Turner and Christopher Koliba, Ph.D.University of Vermont
April 2013
Research ObjectiveHow is the Farm to Plate Network structured?Does this structure create value for member
organizations?
Funded through the James M. Jeffords Policy Research Center
Network Analysis and Food Systems
How is network analysis applied to the food system?Biology – study of food chains…and not much else
+ = ?
Research Question and Hypotheses
RQ – How is the Farm to Plate Network structured on a governance level? How is it structured on an operational level? How do these structures compare to one another?
H1 – The Farm to Plate Network increases and strengthens the connectivity of member organizations in the farm and food sector in Vermont.
H2 – Farm to Plate Network member organizations tend to favor the exchange of information over the exchange of human resources in service of joint programs and projects and the exchange of financial resources.
H3 – Government organizations, nonprofits, and academic organizations participate in the governing and operation of the Farm to Plate Network more centrally than for-profit or funder organizations.
Methods Online Survey
Sent to representatives from all organizations in total network (212 organizations)
16 Questions about: Organization demographics Association with Farm to Plate
Goals Assessment of impacts of
network membership Collaboration with other
network members Information Sharing,
Project/Program Collaboration, Resource Sharing
85 organizations responded
SPSS Demographic information,
goals, and assessment of impacts
Crosstabs and frequency statistics
ORA/UCINET Governing network –
meeting minutes Operational network –
collaboration data from survey
Network maps and centrality measures
Total NetworkN=212
Governing Networkn=142
Sampled Network
n=85
Total NetworkN=212
Governing Network n=142
Sampled Network n=85
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Non-Profit 97 46% 67 47% 41 48%For-Profit 62 29% 30 21% 16 19%Academic 16 7% 13 9% 11 13%Funder 13 6% 10 7% 8 9%Government 25 12% 22 16% 9 11%
Results
“Our organization has formed new relationships in the past year as a direct result of our involvement in the Farm to Plate Network.”
(n=85)
H1 – The Farm to Plate Network increases and strengthens the connectivity of member organizations in the farm and food sector in Vermont.
“Our organization’s involvement in the Farm to Plate Network has helped strengthen our existing relationships.” (n=85)
“The Farm to Plate Network is helping our organization to advance our organization’s own goals.” (n=85)
Social Network Analysis Terms
NodeTieDensityCentrality
DegreeBetweennessEigenvector
Source: Farm to Plate Annual Report, 2012
F2P Governing Network
F2P Governing Network Governing Network – Number of Meetings Attended by
Sector (n=142)
Governing Network – Number of Meetings Attended by Organization (n=142)
Sampled Network – Information Sharing
Sampled Network – Program/Project Collaboration
Sampled Network – Resource Sharing
ResultsSampled Network – Network Level Measures
Sampled Network – Information Sharing
Sampled Network – Project/Program Collaboration
Sampled Network – Resource Sharing
Discussion:Limitations
Missing dataResponse validity
Calls for Future ResearchBaseline study
Implications for PracticeNetwork ManagersNetwork MembersOutsiders
Next steps: Generate peer review articles Issue a final report to F2P Network summarizing these findings Link survey results to Atlas Continue to analyze data, particularly around goal-specific
network configurations. Possibly continue to provide information back to the F2P network Conduct network survey every two years to track the evolution
of the network over time Access data from the Atlas to develop a data analytics profile of
website users– connecting these results to network analysis– in collaboration with VSJF and others…
Thank you!
Sources Campbell, M.C. (2004). Building a common table: the role for planning in
community food systems. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 23: 341-355.
Clancy, K. (2004). Potential contributions of planning to community food systems. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 23 (4): 435-438.
Farm to Plate Annual Report, 2011. Farm to Plate Annual Report, 2012. Kania, J., and Kramer, M. (2011). Collective impact. Stanford Social Innovation
Review, Winter 2011: 36-41. Koliba, C., Campbell, E., and Davis. (2011). Food System Diagram. Koliba, C., Meek, J., and Zia, A. (2011). Governance Networks in Public
Administration and Public Policy. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Prell, C. (2012). Social Network Analysis: history, theory, and methodology.
London: Sage Publications.