Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The project partners will tap into their existing robust networks to maximize access to resources and build collective community capacity to create a more resilient and equitable local food system that values co-design, lived experience, and prioritizes opportunities for low-income QT BIPOC. The proposed project ultimately seeks to create a community-based alternative that addresses racism, health disparities, food insecurity, and poverty by strengthening production, distribution, and marketing challenges within NYC's food system. Beneficiaries of the project include Queer and Trans (QT*) Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the Hudson Valley and New York City, with a focus on the Bronx and Brooklyn boroughs. *QT includes multitudes of identities - lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, intersex, transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, two-spirit, and more.The project goals include: 1) Expand alternative production and distribution models that create a more dignified experience to accessing nutritious, culturally relevant foods; 2) Strengthen the ecosystem of QT BIPOC farmers in NYC and the Hudson Valley; and 3) Build a more resilient and equitable food system that values co-design, lived experience, and prioritizes opportunities for low-income QT BIPOC. The project goals will be accomplished through the following activities: 1) CSA and Wholesale Distribution for Food Access, 2) Farmers Markets and Market Training, 3) Cooperative Farming Apprenticeships, 4) Community Gatherings, 5) Food System Stakeholder Networking and Grant Administration. As a result, the project intends to accomplish the following outcomes: #1: Low-Income QT BIPOC communities residing in the Bronx and Brooklyn access healthy and culturally relevant foods; #2: QT BIPOC farmers enhance their market operations and expand market access to consumers; #3: QT BIPOC farmers deepen their knowledge base and increase capacity to support their local farms and food projects; #4: Community empowerment and a vibrant network of QT BIPOC stakeholders across different sectors of the food system is strengthened; and #5: Distribution logistics for delivering food grown by QT BIPOC farmers improves.The project will develop cross-sector linkages-from farmers, to gardeners, to private and public agencies-and community engagement opportunities. The project will map distribution networks, collaborate, and share resources while providing technical assistance to help strengthen farm to community foodways. The project supports development of entrepreneurship as well as community-envisioning and capacity building activities, while continuing to foster design input. These activities will support the process of members, groups, and communities getting to know one another and organizing their collective strengths, histories, and visions for their communities.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The project goals include: 1) Expand alternative production and distribution models that create a more dignified experience to accessing nutritious, culturally relevant foods; 2) Strengthen the ecosystem of QT BIPOC farmers in NYC and the Hudson Valley; and 3) Build a more resilient and equitable food system that values co-design, lived experience, and prioritizes opportunities for low-income QT BIPOC.
Project Methods
The project will be conducted through a combination of community engagement, program provision and leadership development. Partners are committed to independent evaluation and participatory research for examining the impact its activities are having on participants, volunteers, communities, and partners. Project staff are involved in developing benchmarks and provide regular, data-driven feedback to identify successes and challenges that spark changes in practice. FSNYC has customized tracking systems and databases that adequately capture its work and dedicated staff that track and analyze data on communities served, outputs, and outcomes.To track performance measures and progress toward goals, FSNYC staff will develop and monitor databases in Google Workspace and Monday.com for collecting and monitoring community information, including demographic information, assessment information, engagement hours, length of participation, and partnership history. Google workspace and Monday.com have security features to project data and can be customized to meet the needs of specific programming. This system also allows FSNYC to generate reports, demonstrating program trends and overall program progress. Program Director, Connor Vaughn will hold regular meetings with partners to discuss outcomes and community engagement; perform quality control; and ensure that the system is tailored to the needs of the program and that program staff are trained to utilize the Google Workspace and Monday.com.FSNYC will evaluate the outcome of our project based on the following criteria:Impact-The extent to which the program has generated or is expected to generate significant positive or negative, intended or unintended, higher-level effects.Relevance-The extent to which our program's objectives and design respond to community needs, priorities, and continue to do so if circumstances change.Effectiveness-The extent to which the program achieved, or is expected to achieve, its objectives and its results, including any differential results across groups.Efficiency-The extent to which our program delivers, or is likely to deliver, results in an economic and timely waySustainability-The extent to which the net benefits of the program continue or are likely to continue.