Investigating the economic sustainability of distribution channels for the urban farmer and consumer in food insecure neighborhoods

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, networking, participatory research
• Farm Business Management: farmers' markets/farm stands, market study
• Sustainable Communities: community services, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, infrastructure analysis, local and regional food systems, public participation, public policy, social networks, urban agriculture, values-based supply chains

Like many urban farms, Dirt Beast Farm is located in a low income neighborhood currently experiencing an uptick in real estate value. Despite multiple farms operating in the Ivanhoe neighborhood, it has been shown that there are socio-economic boundaries present for many of its current residents’ ability to access the food grown commercially by their neighbors. We will identify those boundaries and explain possible ways to create local food access, taking into account these boundaries. In order to do this, we will be conducting surveys, distributed to our Ivanhoe neighbors, as well as hosting potlucks to encourage community dialogue around local food and to workshop ways around the identified boundaries. Our research has shown that many urban farmers in low income neighborhoods cannot count on traditional distribution channels typically associated with urban farming and must look to more culturally relevant methods. We will publish and present on our findings so that they can be used as a case study by other urban farmers to provide a more effective and economically sustainable access. We will poll urban farmers and policy makers after these presentations to determine their likelihood of adopting these methods.

1. Identify boundaries between the local food market and low income Ivanhoe residents
2. Determine, through research and direct engagement, what causes these boundaries to exist
3. Identify and explain possible ways to create local food access, taking into account these boundaries and the reasons for them
4. Compile one document, workshopped with neighbors and urban farmers on our findings investigating the economic sustainability of distribution channels for the urban farmer and consumer in food insecure neighborhoods
5. Share our findings using social media, website, and presentations
6. Determine the likelihood of urban farmers and policymakers adopting these methods