Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: As a part of this planning project, Illinois Stewardship Alliance convened an Advisory Committee that consisted of 15 people representing diverse stakeholders including non-profit representatives, state and local government and community leaders. Community members who reside in East Springfield as well as organizations rooted in and serving the community were represented on the Advisory Committee. Part of the planning project included organizing 6 focus groups with a total of 31 attendees. All attendees were residents of East Springfield, a community with high poverty rates and limited food access. Focus participants were parents at Washington Middle School, participants in a neighborhood community garden or residents of a Springfield Housing Authority aparment complex. 27 attendees were black and 4 were white. Additionally as a part of this planning project, the Seeds of Possibility community garden and Destination Dinner Table nutrition education program targeted low-income residents by reaching out to community members through schools, churches, housing projects and community outreach centers located in areas with a high density of low-income individuals and families. The Seeds of Possbility community garden had 295 adults and 142 children over the course of the year. Through the Destination Dinner Table program the project was able to target low-income community members to educate participants about from-scratch cooking and using fresh produce and whole foods while on a budget. 91 adults and 64 children were reached through this program. Changes/Problems: While inital dissemination of the project results and the Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan has begun, further dissemination will take place and continue beyond the end of the planning project period. An unexpected result of the project was the development of the Grow Springfield community garden and urban ag network. Initially, a sub-committee for community gardens was formed to look at the specific needs of community gardens and how community gardens could work together better. The sub-committee quickly identified opportunities to continue to collaborate and a need for the committee to meet beyond the scope of the planning project. Ultimately the sub-committee became Grow Springfield, an urban agriculture and community garden network, that will serve as the body to convene members and assist with implementation of the Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? As a part of the project, Project Director, Lindsay Record, attended the American Community Gardening Association conference held in Chicago, Illinois in August 2014. The conference featured community garden practitioners, organizers, researchers and participants from across the nation. In addition to a tour of local community gardens, the conference covered topics including: building coaltions of community gardens, best practices for land aquisition, asset based community development, measuring and evaluation of community garden harvest, job development through and participatory planning. Record identified programs, projects and leaders from acorss the country that could be resources for the Springfield Urban Agriculture Planning Project. As a result of the conference, a brief report highlighting relevant resources was shared with the project's advisory committee. Additionally, individuals professionals that could be consultants have been identified for future reference. Additionally, project participant, Laurie Call from Illinois Public Health Institute provided faciliation training to focus group faciliators prior to the focus groups. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan and results of the planning process has been disseminated through email to individuals who have identified themselves as interested stakeholders. Future plans to disseminate the results will include upcoming public presentations (a public program at the Springfield Lincoln Library, Illinois Stewardship Alliance's annual meeting, Sierra Club monthly program and the Springfield Urban Ag and Community Gardening conference), a news release, and printing of the final plan. Additionally, team members will disseminate the template and tools developed for other communities to replicate the Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan through email, websites, newsletters and at conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact The impact of this project was far-reaching in bringing together stakeholders to engage in planning to increase urban agriculture and community gardening in Springfield, IL. Through the planning process, we reached out to community members by inviting them to participate in an advisory committee, focus groups, a community garden, educational programs, interviews and surveys to inform and develop a plan that addresses reducing food insecurity, improving nutrition, providing skills training for preparation of fresh produce, generating income through urban growing and partnering with job training programs. While some participants that participated in the planning process were familiar with the opportunities that can be associated with urban agriculture and community gardening, most weren't. The planning project provided a chance for participants to learn more about urban agriculture in other communities and explore what types of activities and programs would benefit Springfield. Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Illinois Public Health Institute and genHkids worked together to coordinate the planning process. We were able to clearly outline a path forward to utilize the Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan to: increase availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables in east Springfield; increase self-reliance in low-income communities by increasing opportunities for people provide their own food needs and kickstart thinking about enterepreneurial options for gardeners and urban growers; and finally to utilize the Springfield Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan to increase local buy-in and serve as a model for other communities. Goals 1. Increase availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables and support the ofod and economic self-suffciency needs of low-income individuals in east Springfield. Major activities: Convened an advisory committee of 20 community leaders, non-profit and educational institution representative and governmental organization staff to identify and review data sources, interview key stakeholders, conduct a SWOT analysis and used lessons from urban agriculture initiatives in other cities. These activities led to an Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan that outlines strategies to continue working towards this goal. Data collected: Demographic data for both Springfield, IL and East Springfield, IL which has a higher concentration of low-income residents, people of color and unemployed individuals. Additionally, we gathered data on health status, dietary choices, food insecurity and SNAP benefit usage. Summary of Statistics: We focused on census tracts in East Springfield, IL and discovered that in addition to socio-economic disadvantages, East Springfield has distinct food insecurity with 31% of residents using SNAP benefits (compared to 13% city-wide), a high-concentration of schools with over 75% of students receiving free and reduced lunch and a large portion of the East Springfield is considered to be a food desert according to USDA's Food Access Research Atlas. Key outcomes: Through the Seeds of Possibility incubator project, 35 community garden plots were planted with participation from 295 adults and 142 children. Additionally, 15 community gardens and 8 school gardens in and around Springfield were identified which were entered into a garden directory to connect prospective gardeners with existing gardens. 2. Provide a clear path for self-reliance in low-income communities in providing for their own food needs while promoting entrepreneurial solutions to local food, farm, job training and nutrition issues. Major activities completed: The advisory committee identified successful urban agriculture programs across the country to find sources of further information about best practices and learn more about the economic viability of urban growing. We gathered data and facilitated discussions with both focus group participants and select advisory committee members who have expertise in workforce development and job training to learn about interest and opportunties in entrepreneurial activities. Data collected: 100% of focus group participants were either maybe interested or very interested in learning about adult education and job training programs related to food production with a majority being very interested. Discussion of results: There was much discussion in the advisory committee about how to grow urban entrepreneurial growers since there aren't any urban farming training programs in this region that already exist. While initial results indicate that urban gardeners are interested, the advisory committee determined that further research and education was needed to determine how to start a successful program in Springfield. 3. Use the Springfield Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan to increase local buy-in and serve as a replicable model for other communities. Key outcomes: Engaged 20 participants in the advisory committee including east side residents, community garden participants and non-profit leaders from East Springfield. With the input of advisory committee, focus groups, key informant interviews a Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan was developed with 6 key goals including: 1. An urban agriculture system will help food insecure residents of Springfield to grow their own produce; 2. An urban agriculture system will help food insecure residents of Springfield to consumer more healthy, fresh produce grown in their communities; 3. Urban agriculture wil be an engine for economic development, employment and income generation for Springfield; 4. Urban agriculture will contribute to increased environmental sustainability and stewardship in Springfield; 5. Urban agriculture will strengthen the community and 6. Urban agriculturewill contribute to the social, emotional and educational development of children and youth. Additionally, the plan outlines both short and long term strategies for reaching each of these goals.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Springfield Urban Agriculture Implementation Plan
http://wp.me/a3bsMd-Fm
|