New American Farmer
Fellow: Jeff Young, University of Kentucky Roadmap
Fellow Report: The three deliverables - Annotated Bibliography, Literature Review and Journal Article are 95% complete.
Significant Results: Recommendations:
In this study, we have briefly described the history and current standing of Extension’s involvement in urban agriculture. Looking to the future, we close with priority recommendations for Extension’s urban food production efforts. Recommendations are detailed under three action clusters: 1) Complicate the Rural/Urban Dichotomy, 2) Tackle Structural and Institutional Power Dynamics, and 3) Intensify Strategies for Community Resilience. These findings and recommendations are not issued for purposes of uncritical application but rather to inspire localized adaptation. Indeed, if one theme has proven constant, it is that the urban, like the rural, is heterogeneous and evolving, requiring dynamic approaches suited to the local. ● Complicate the Rural/Urban Dichotomy ○ The assumed divide between the urban and rural rarely leads to productive discourse. Reliance on the rural/urban distinction eclipses local circumstances and needs, which could inhibit effective policy and public investment in food production (Campbell & Rampold 2021). Extension must be aware of other social-ecological dynamics operating within food systems, namely those existing between organic and conventional producers, full-time and part-time farmers, and profit-centered and social justice-centered models (Colby & Kennedy 2017; Diekmann et al. 2017; Carolan 2018). ○ Encourage Multisectoral and Transdisciplinary Collaboration
■ Collaboration between urban, suburban, and rural geographies is a critical piece in building resilient food systems, particularly in our increasingly polarized socio-political context (Roman-Alcalá, Graddy-Lovelace & Edelman 2021; Mettler & Brown 2022). Extension must be critical and creative in outreach, programming, and networking efforts, cognizant of shifting perspectives of what constitutes so-called “urban” agriculture
21
Powered by FlippingBook