Progress 07/15/23 to 07/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience Food system organizations in Central Appalachia: I conducted two listening sessions in the style of focus groups with non-profit organizations addressing food system issues in Central Appalachia. At the beginning of each session, I delivered information on the project and the issues before asking a series of questions about their work. I also presented the information from the first listening session to the second so they could know what had already been said and build on it. In addition to the two listening sessions, I also conducted 36 conversations with food system organizations across the region to inform them about the project and incorporate their insights into my next steps. Changes/Problems:No major problems. Changes: This did not change the scope or objectives, but the Central Appalachian region of Kentucky (Eastern Kentucky) was added to the geographic boundary. As I conducted scoping conversations with food system organizations in SE Ohio, it emerged how much collaboration had occurred between organizations in SE Ohio and Eastern Kentucky. Given this history, I addedKentucky into the scope tobuild on past efforts in the region. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Objective 1: I have submitted 2 articles for publication on climate change, policy, and agroecology. Both are undergoing revisions at this time. I served on a grant review panel. I co-hosted a session focused on publishing in the Journal of Agriculture and Human Values with the journal's editor. Objective 2: I have pursued numerous science policy trainings including auditing a 3-credit graduate course focusing on food, agriculture, and nutrition policy. I attended a day-long policy training by Virginia Tech's interdisciplinary policy group (+Policy). Objective 3: I have mentored one PhD student since August 2023 and one undergraduate student since January 2024. I have provided ad hoc mentoring to current graduate students and one postdoc via the AFHVS Graduate Student and Early Career Committee that I Co-Chair. I am currently in the planning process to bring a PhD Candidate (visiting scholar) to Virginia Tech from Aarhus University in Denmark in Spring 2025 to collaborate on research. I co-taught and supported "Introduction to Civic Agriculture", a 3-credit undergraduate course in fall 2023. I hosted two panels on predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships. Objective 4: I joined Virginia Tech's +Policy group, INFAS, and SRSA. I have served as board member to the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society and as Co-Chair of the Graduate Student and Early Career Committee. I have built my network and explored collaborations with scholars at Virginia Tech, the University of Buffalo, Appalachian State, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State, and the University of Hawaii. I took leadership over The Center for Food Systems and Community Transformations Fellows Speaker Series which has exposed me to interdisciplinary scholars from Virginia Tech and beyond in order to develop my collaboration skills. I joined the Central Appalachian Network and participate in their climate working group as well as equity efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were distributed to the participatory committee who is comprised of food system leaders from five Central Appalachian states. Results were also distributed at a conference session of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective 1: Conduct additional focus groups with more stakeholders across the Central Appalachian regional food system to understand how they are responding to climate change. The two focus groups I held were primarily with nonprofit organizations, and they revealed the need to collect data from local governments and regional commissions. This is also in line with scholarship by Ruhf and Clancy (2022)on regional food systems who assert the need for local government planners and regional policy bodies to tackle regional food system issues.From the additional focus groups, I will bring that data back to the participatory committee to prioritize the next research direction. This project is participatory in nature, so the additional data collection methods will be determined with that group once the additional research aims are identified. In the proposal, I wrote that illustrative methodologies could include a survey instrument with follow-up interviews with exemplar cases identified from the survey instrument. Additional or other methods may emerge as more suitable or appropriate for the group's identified research aims. All of this data, once analyzed, will be presented to the participatory committee. Objective 2: Once all the findings from this project are derived, we will then work through the results to identify where there may be policy lever implications. Once policy lever possibilities are identified, I will hold feedback sessions across the region and where appropriate with national-level audiences to further inform the project's policy lever possibilities. Recommendations will be revised following feedback sessions. Objective 3: Thereafter, I will create policy outputs discussing the policy levers and their prospective impact. All the policy outputs will be posted to the project's dashboard. I plan on disseminating the findings through a variety of vehicles. Conferences may include: Agriculture, Food, and Human Values, Rural Sociology Annual Meeting, Central Appalachian Network Convening, Virginia Winter Extension Conference, state-based conferences (VABF, OEFFA, etc.) and/or the Community Development Society.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1 Accomplishments: Received IRB approval Read and analyzed 134+ peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books on food systems, regional governance, participatory approaches, policy, climate change, and agroecology Conducted a landscape analysis of food system organizations inthe targeted geographic area (VA, WV, NC, and OH) Added Kentucky to project scope Created a stakeholder matrix comprised of 81 organizations across the targeted geographic area Conducted 36 exploratory scoping calls to inform project and develop participatory committee Invited 11 food system leaders from five states to participate in participatory committee Conducted a listening session (in the style of a focus group) at the Central Appalachian Network Convening on how food system organizations are responding to resilient food systems in Central Appalachia Conducted a focus group with the participatory committee on how food system organizations are responding to climate threats to food systems in Central Appalachia Drafted a survey and interview protocol Objective 2: No activities were planned for Objective 2 in Y1. Objective 3 Accomplishments: Presented at Southern Rural Sociological Association Presented to the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (both in 2023 and 2024) Attended Central Appalachian Network Convening and connected with various regional stakeholders

Publications