Characterizing the health, social, and economic impacts of urban agriculture and its contributions to food security

CHARACTERIZING THE HEALTH, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF URBAN AGRICULTURE AND ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO FOOD SECURITY

Sponsoring Institution

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Project Status

COMPLETE

Funding Source

AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT

Reporting Frequency

Annual

Accession No.

1003850

Grant No.

2014-67012-22270

Cumulative Award Amt.

$150,000.00

Proposal No.

2014-02000

Multistate No.

(N/A)

Project Start Date

Sep 1, 2014

Project End Date

Aug 31, 2017

Grant Year

2014

Program Code

[A7201]- AFRI Post Doctoral Fellowships

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF SANTA CLARA
(N/A)
SANTA CLARA,CA 95053

Performing Department
Environ. Studies & Science

Non Technical Summary
Across the country, interest in urban agriculture is growing due to its position at the nexus of many issues: food security, health, urban greening, as well as economic and community development, particularly for low-income urban residents. Yet balancing these multiple goals requires a comprehensive assessment of the benefits, costs, and barriers associated with the most common forms of urban agriculture. In this study, we focus on the health, social, and economic impacts, as well as the costs and limitations of four common forms of urban agriculture--home gardens, community gardens, urban farms, and farmers' markets--in Santa Clara Valley, California.Objective 1: To assess urban agriculture's contributions to the local food supply, we will work directly with farmers and gardeners to measure the amount of produce they harvest. Objective 2: Through surveys and semi-structured interviews, we will analyze the size and demographic characteristics of the populations involved in urban agriculture, as well as the effects of urban agriculture participation on food security, nutrition, health, social capital, cost savings, and community engagement. We will combine qualitative and quantitative data on costs and challenges to identify factors that influence the sustainability of different urban agriculture initiatives. Objective 3: To foster learning and collaboration among extension educators involved in urban agriculture nationwide, we will organize a working group dedicated to urban agriculture in eXtension. Through participation in the eXtension working group, we will be able to place our results in a broader context and create research-based educational content for a national audience.This study will result in information that municipal decision-makers, community-based practitioners, and urban agriculturalists can use to decide how to take advantage of synergies and balance tradeoffs between urban agriculture's many functions. It will also create a forum for ongoing peer learning and collaboration about urban agriculture.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
803	6099	2060	100%

Knowledge Area
803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
2060 - Geography;

Keywords

Goals / Objectives
1. To assess the capacity of urban agriculture to feed urban residents by determining the crop yield and distribution methods of community gardens, home gardens, and urban farms.2. To determine, using surveys and semi-structured interviews, the size and demographic characteristics of the populations involved in urban agriculture, as well as the effects of urban agriculture participation on food security, nutrition, health, social capital, cost savings, and community engagement. We will also assess the costs and barriers to each of the forms of urban agriculture listed above.3. To organize an urban agriculture working group as part of the Community, Local, and Regional Food Systems eXtension Community of Practice to foster a national network of professionals who are involved in urban agriculture for sharing information, learning, and collaborating.

Project Methods
Assessing the impact of urban agriculture in Santa Clara County on food supply. To determine the yield of community and home gardens, we will use a method for weighing garden produce that has been validated by Santa Clara County Agricultural Extension. We will recruit community gardeners and home gardeners to keep a log of the types and weight of produce they harvest during the summer and winter growing season. Gardeners will also record what portion of their recent harvest they consumed themselves and the destination of any excess produce (e.g., family, neighbors, or friends). To determine the amount of produce being grown at and distributed by urban farms, we will ask the managers of Santa Clara County's (SCC) urban farms for their production data. To evaluate the ability of farmers' markets to provide produce to low-income communities, we will gather data from farmers' market managers on CalFresh purchases.We will calculate the amount of produce grown in community gardens, home gardens, and urban farms in SCC. This data will allow us to assess the potential of urban agriculture to affect food supply in the study area, as measured by the following indicators: total pounds of produce harvested, pounds/plant, pounds/square foot, number of servings of produce produced, cost savings, and pounds of produce distributed to others.Identifying the benefits and challenges of urban agriculture. To identify who is being served by UA and the benefits and challenges they experience, we will survey community and home gardeners, urban farm participants, and farmers' market customers and conduct semi-structured interviews with key informants. The survey instrument will be designed to measure household food security; consumption of fresh produce; amount of physical activity associated with participation; self-reported health status; social capital; and changes in knowledge and behavior since participation in urban agriculture began. For comparison, we will administer a survey with similar questions to individuals who are not engaging in urban agriculture, but are randomly selected at a local grocery store chain.Semi-structured interviews with community garden, urban farm, and home garden program managers, public partners, and a subset of survey respondents will be designed to provide information about the costs and challenges associated with each form of urban agriculture. Topics will include land access and tenure; water availability and use; labor use; production inputs; start-up costs; and regulatory barriers and potentially helpful policy interventions. Interviews will also be used to assess aspects of community organizing and community development at urban agriculture sites.Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize the demographic information. Differences in responses by urban agriculture type will be calculated using Pearson's chi-square analysis for categorical data and analysis of variance for continuous data. Linear and logistic regression models will be used to assess the relationship between participation in various forms of urban agriculture and key outcome variables while controlling for demographic variables. Interviews will be transcribed and interview data will be coded using qualitative data analysis software.Developing a nationwide network of urban agriculture professionals and practitioners. The Project Director will organize and lead a topic working group dedicated to urban agriculture within the Community, Local and Regional Food System eXtension Community of Practice (eCoP). Composed of eCoP members, the urban agriculture working group (UAWG) will have regular phone meetings to discuss what members are learning, issues they are encountering, and needs they have. The UAWG will encourage learning across disciplines and states, and will be a place where members of regional UA groups can connect.Efforts and Evaluation. Gardeners and farmers will participate directly in project implementation, as citizen scientists, by collecting data about their harvest and water use and helping interpret results. We will also share our results with participants and SCC Food System Alliance members, and in other local forums. To reach a wider audience of urban agriculture professionals and practitioners, the Project Director will create articles on topics related to urban agriculture and food security for eXtension. The Project Director (PD) will also create educational materials for eXtension in collaboration with other members of the UAWG.To evaluate the UAWG, the PD will employ a developmental evaluation approach; the PD will use informal conversations with UAWG members and two surveys of members to assess how interactions are going, what is being accomplished, members' degree of engagement, whether collaboration is emerging, and how collaborators are working together. In addition, the PD will use a needs assessment of UAWG members to identify what information and tools would best serve Extension Educators, individuals involved in urban agriculture, and urban decision makers. This data will guide the educational content created for eXtension. To evaluate efforts to increase understanding of urban agriculture among local stakeholders, we will use informal conversations with urban agriculturalists, urban agriculture program managers, and members of the SCC Food System Alliance and will administer surveys at the conclusion of local presentations that collect information about participants' understanding of the impacts and limitations of various forms of urban agriculture, their confidence in applying the science-based date presented to their own work, and additional information needs.

Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Over the three years of this grant, I have reached the following target audiences: 1. I have engaged six undergraduate students through experiential learning opportunities. These students have been employed as undergraduate research assistants and have been trained in data collection, management,and analysis. In the 2017 winter quarter, I also mentored senior environmental science students as they undertook group capstone projects to assess aspects of small-scale urban and periurban agriculture in Santa Clara County. Additionally, more than 50 undergraduate students have been the audience for two on-campus presentations on the multifaceted impacts of urban agriculture that highlight the results of my fellowship research. 2. I have engaged urban home and community food gardeners in research and extension. Eighty-six gardeners have participated in research as citizen scientists, measuring and recording their harvest during summer 2015. I have shared the results of this research with many gardeners, community garden program staff, and other members of the local food systemthrough oral presentations at community garden meetings and through a publicly available report that describes the research results for a general audience. 3. Low-income, predominantly Latino urban food gardeners represent a subset of the larger gardening audience. They have also participated in my research as citizen scientists and have received research results through presentations at community gatherings and the report on research findings mentioned above. I am involved in an ongoing research collaboration with a local program that supports low-income gardeners. During the most recent reporting period, two student research assistants, my primary mentor, and I worked with program staff to qualitatively analyze interviews with program members and produce a report on the gardeners' understandings of healthy food, the barriers they face trying to access healthy food, and the contributions their gardens make to diet, food security, and community building. 4. I have reached Cooperative Extension professionals through the activities of two working groups dedicated to urban agriculture and undoing inequality in the food system,which I co-lead. These working groups are part of the eXtension Community, Local and Regional Food Systems (CLRFS)Community of Practice. The urban agriculture working group designed and implemented a nationwide survey about Extension's involvement in urban agriculture; and wrote and distributed a report summarizing the survey results. 147 Extension professionals completed the survey and the 384 members of the CRLFS listserv received an email with a link to the final report, which is also posted on the eXtension website. Currently, one member of the survey team and I are in the process of writing a journal manuscript describing the results.The Undoing Inequality in the Food System working group has partnered with the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association to host a series of webinars on topics that explore the intersection of equity and food systems. Our first webinar was held on February 17, 2017, and had 170 attendees. For those who were unable to attend, a recording of the webinar is publicly available online and has been viewed 156 times as of June 20, 2017. 5. I have reached key local Santa Clara County food system stakeholders through extension and outreach. Over the course of my fellowship, I have been an active member of the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance. During 2016, the Alliance identified an emerging research need: identifying barriers to the viability of small-scale agriculture in fast urbanizing Santa Clara County as well as identifying successful models of small-scale agriculture from other regions that may be useful in overcoming these local barriers. My primary mentor and I helped secure a grant to fund researching and writing a report on the viability of small-scale agriculture in Santa Clara County. We have been able to contribute some of our research findings to this effort and are using our resources, as academics, to assist and facilitate this community-driven research project. Although not yet complete, this project will culminate in a widely disseminated report with the aim of assisting new and beginning farmers interested in small-scale agriculture in Santa Clara County. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided opportunities for me to develop skills in survey development and analysis, grant writing, collaboration, giving public presentations, and preparing publications. In addition, by working one-on-one with student research assistants, the PD I have strengthened my skills as a supervisor and mentor. I have also taken advantages of opportunities on campus to receive additional training in classroom teaching as well as project and data management. Professional development activities have included attending professional conferences andmeeting regularly with my primary mentor, Dr. Leslie Gray, and Dr. Gregory Baker, the Executive Director of Santa Clara University's Food & Agribusiness Institute, to discuss data analysis, conference presentations, and writing projects. I have also worked with collaborating mentor, Dr. Susan Algert, on two peer-reviewed publications, both of which were published in 2016. Co-leading the two eXtension working groups has also provided valuable professional contacts with Extension specialists across the country and led to collaborations with colleagues at Washington State University and Michigan State University. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been presented at the annual conferences of the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, the Association of American Geographers, the Agriculture Food and Human Values Society, and the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association. Research findings have also been presented at Santa Clara University through an Environmental Studies and Sciences Department colloquium. Study results have been published in the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, California Agriculture, and the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. Project results have been summarized in two reports, Food Gardening in Santa Clara County: Preliminary Results and Preliminary Results: Survey of Extension's Role in Urban Agriculture. These reports are publicly available online and have also been circulated to relevant communities of interest. In addition, I have provided gardeners who participated in the study with individualized reports about their harvest. I have also made public presentations about this research at meetings for San Jose and Morgan Hill community gardeners and I have spoken at the graduation ceremonies for La Mesa Verde and Valley Verde, programs that teach low-income families to grow their own organic vegetables. Leaders and members of both programs appreciated receiving research results that helped to quantify the impact they are having. The first webinar in the series being produced by the Undoing Inequality in the Food System Working Group in collaboration with the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA)was advertised to a national audience of Extension professionals working on community, local, and regional food systems as well as the membership of SAEA. A recording of the webinar is publicly available on the eXtension website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Throughout the US, urban agriculture has become increasingly popular among municipal governments, nonprofit organizations, and urban residents. Urban agriculture (UA) is appealing because of its potential to positively impact cities' social and physical environments. These benefits include increasing access to fresh produce, beautifying vacant lots, providing opportunities for community and economic development, improving neighborhood safety, and offering education to city residentsabout nutrition and agriculture. Because UA is an emerging field there is a need for research-based information to support Extension educators, elected officials, city staff, as well as the growing number of urban farmers and gardeners. To help meet this need, this applied research project has aimed to comprehensively assess the benefits, limitations, and trade-offs between four of the most common forms of UA in Santa Clara County, California: home gardens, community gardens, farmers' markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Additionally, in collaboration with local and national Extension colleagues, I have explored how Extension programs are responding to the opportunities presented by UA to engage urban residents in food and agriculture-based projects. We used a variety of methods to meet these research objectives. To understand how gardens contribute to the urban food supply, we recruited 86 gardeners to record how much they harvested over a growing season. We used surveys of gardeners, farmers' market shoppers, and CSA members, to learn: 1) who is participating in UA (and who might be left out), 2) why and how they participate, 3) what impacts UA has had on their diet, their degree of food security, their social relationships, their level of civic engagement, and their knowledge of agricultural issues, and finally 4) what obstacles they have experienced either as gardeners or as direct-market customers. With undergraduate research assistants we used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map UA sites and analyze their location relative to food insecure populations. We also interviewed 51 people with knowledge of UA to gain an in-depth understanding of the significance of UA and challenges in starting or maintaining gardens, farms, farmers' markets and CSA programs. To learn how Extension is responding to the growth of UA, we surveyed 174 Extension professionals in 33 states about their engagement with UA topics and clientele. Goal 1. We found UA contributes to food security in three primary ways. 1) UA provides access to fresh produce, a key element of a healthy diet. 2) UA contributes to the nutritional quality of residents' diets by providing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. 3) UA contributes to the cultural acceptability of diets by providing the foods that gardeners prefer (i.e., fresh, high quality, or culturally significant crops) grown in a manner they find acceptable (i.e., without pesticides). This information is valuable for people who wish to reduce food insecurity and to promote healthy food access in the city. It is also useful for farmers and organizers who want to develop direct-to-consumer markets as it helps to explain the preferences of existing and potential customers. Our results show that over a two-month period participants in programs for food insecure gardeners typically had a 64 ft2 garden that yielded 57 lbs of produce worth $231. The typical home garden was 168 ft2 and produced 130 lbs of produce over the same period, while the typical community garden was 251 ft2 and yielded 81 lbs of produce. Although the participants in programs for food insecure gardeners produced a small quantity of produce, their yield (1.08 lbs/ft2) was more than double that of other gardeners (0.46 lbs/ft2). Sharing garden vegetables was a common practice. Gardeners gave away approximately 30% of what they grew, most often to friends and family, but also to coworkers, neighbors, and local charities. We also compared the number of cups of vegetables produced per garden to the USDA nutritional recommendations for an individual adult. In the summer, the typical garden produced more than enough cups of vegetables for an individual to meet the USDA recommendations for vegetable intake. Goal 2. It is unusual for studies to look at a city's UA scene in its entirety. Most previous research has focused on a particular project or a particular type of UA (e.g., community gardens). Our study is different because it looks across home gardens, community gardens, farmers' markets, and CSA programs, and allows us to make comparisons as well as to look at synergies and trade-offs. The analysis of our surveys of UA participants revealed some significant differences between types of UA.For instance, farmers' markets and CSA programsprovideda greater portion of the fresh produce that a household consumedthan gardens. However, people who struggled with food insecurity were more likely to report that having a productive garden made them less anxious about having enough food to eat than shopping at a farmers' market or belonging to a CSA. A greater percentage of gardeners and farmers' market shoppers reported developing new social relationships as a result of their participation in UAthan CSA members. Conversely, gardeners and CSA members were more likely to report learning something new about agriculture as a result of their participation in UA than farmers' market shoppers. Finally, gardeners reported a greater degree of community engagement (e.g., working on a community project or attending a public meeting) than either farmers' market shoppers or CSA members. Because this research coincided with the extreme drought California experienced from 2012-2017, we investigated how drought affected UA. We found that UA fared well, despite the extremely dry conditions. Gardeners and farmers were very concerned about the drought, but generally did not report that it had a substantial impact on their ability to maintain their farms and gardens. Among gardeners who continued to garden during the drought, the most common response to the drought was to water less (57% of gardeners) and to improve the soil's water holding capacity through the application of compost and mulch (43% of gardeners). We also looked at how UA sites received water and found that the pressure to conserve water was quite variable depending on the water retailer, the presence of an institutional sponsor for an UA project (such as a city department or an educational institution), and the vulnerability of the individual water user (particularly their income level and whether or not they rented). This analysis of how water flows from water retailers to UA water users will be useful for UA projects in other cities, where access to water is often listed as a challenge in needs assessments. Goal 3. During the fellowship period, I organized two working groups--one dedicated to UA and one dedicated to undoing inequality in the food system--where Extension professionals with common interests could learn from one another. The UA working group members wanted to learn about the research and education on UA that their Extension colleagues were doing. To meet this goal, we designed and implemented a nationwide survey of Extension professionals. The survey asked respondents to describe their Extension work, their activities related to UA, and any challenges they face. Working group members wrote a report summarizing the survey results, which has been shared on the eXtension platform. Undoing Inequality in the Food System working group members were also interested in learning opportunities. In partnership with the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association, this working group has launched a series of webinars on issues related to equity and the food system. Partnering with the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association expands the reach of these efforts.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Diekmann, L.O., Gray, L., and Baker, G.A. (Revised and resubmitted). Drought, water access, and urban agriculture: A case study from Silicon Valley. Local Environment.
Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gray, L., Diekmann, L., and Algert, S. 2017. Barriers and Benefits of North American Urban Agriculture. In A. Winklerprins (ed) Global Urban Agriculture: Convergence of Theory and Practice between North and South. CABI International, 24-37.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Diekmann, L., Bennaton, R., Schweiger, J., and Smith, C. 2017. Involving Extension in Urban Food Systems: An Example from California. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 5(2): 70-90.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Algert, S., Diekmann, L., Gray, L., and Renvall, M. 2016. Community and home gardens increase vegetable intake and food security of residents in San Jose, CA. California Agriculture, 70(2):77-82.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Algert, S., Baameur, A., Diekmann, L., Gray, L., and Ortiz, D. 2016. Vegetable output, cost savings, and nutritional value of low income families' home gardens in San Jose, CA. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 11(3):328-336.
Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Diekmann, L., Gray, L., and Baker, G. 2016. Food Gardening in Santa Clara County: Preliminary Results. Food & Agribusiness Institute.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Diekmann, L., Gray, L., and Baker, G. 2017. Drought and urban agriculture: Framing water access in the city. Paper presented at the 2017 AFHVS annual meeting and conference, Pasadena, CA.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gray, L., and Diekmann, L. 2017. Urban Agriculture and Food System Change: A Comparative Perspective of Urban Agriculture in Silicon Valley. Paper presented at the 2017 AFHVS annual meeting and conference, Pasadena, CA.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Diekmann, L.O., Baker, G.A., and Gray, L. Direct-to-consumer Markets: Local Food Consumers' Perceptions of their Public and Private Benefits. Paper presented at 27th Annual IFAMA World Conference, Miami, FL.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Diekmann, L., Gray, L., and Baker, G. 2016. Assessing Urban Gardens' Contributions to Food Security. Paper presented at 26th Annual IFAMA World Conference, Aarhus, Denmark.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: L. Diekmann. 2016. Assessing the Impacts of Urban Agriculture in Santa Clara County, California. Paper presented at American Association of Geographers annual meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Diekmann, L. 2015. Promoting home food gardens for community benefit: A case study from California's Silicon Valley. Paper presented at the annual Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences conference, San Diego, CA.
Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Diekmann, L., Dawson, J., Kowalski, J., Raison, B., Ostrom, M., Bennaton, R., and Fisk, C. 2016. Preliminary Results: Survey of Extension's Role in Urban Agriculture. eXtension Community, Local & Regional Food Systems Community of Practice.

Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:In the second year of this grant, I have reached: Undergraduate students through experiential learning opportunities provided as student researchers employed to help with data collection and analysis. Community and home gardeners who have been engaged as citizen scientists, collecting harvest data from their gardens for this project. Community and home gardeners, city garden program staff, and other members of the local food system, whohave received a report about the motivations for, practices, and impacts of urban gardening in Santa Clara County. Low-income, predominantly Hispanic gardeners who have participated in this research and received the results. Santa Clara County has two programs that teach low-income families how to grow their own vegetables. Both have invited me to present research findings to their members and I have advised one group on how to set up their own harvest measurement program. Cooperative Extension professionals who have participated in working groups on urban agriculture and undoing inequality in the food system, have participated in a survey about Extension's involvment in urban agriculture, and received a report summarizing survey results. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over the reporting period, this project has provided opportunities for the PD to develop skills in survey analysis, grant writing, collaboration, andpreparing publications and presentations for professional and general audiences. In addition, the PD has worked one-on-one with four student research assistants, helping them develop research skills, practice technical skills (e.g., GIS analysis), and increasing their knowledge of food systems and urban agriculture. The PD has worked with mentors, Dr. Susan Algert and Dr. Leslie Gray, ontwo peer-reviewedjournal articles, both of which were published in 2016. Professional development activities have included attending conferences and meeting regularly with the primary mentor, Dr. Leslie Gray, and Dr. Gregory Baker, the director of Santa Clara University's Food & Agribusiness Institute, to discuss data analysis, conference presentations, and writing projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been presented at the Association of American Geographers meeting and at the world conference of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association. Results have also been summarized in two reports, Food Gardening in Santa Clara County: Preliminary Results and Preliminary Results: Survey of Extension's Role in Urban Agriculture. These reports are publicly available online and have also been circulated to relevant interest groups, e.g., the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance and the CLRFS Community of Practice listserv. In addition, the PD has provided gardeners who participated in the study with individual reports about their harvest. Finally, the PD has made presentations about research results at meetings of San Jose and Morgan Hill community gardeners and has spoken at the graduation ceremonies for La Mesa Verde and Valley Verde, programs that teach low-income families to grow their own organic vegetables. Leaders and members of both programs appreciated receiving research results that helped to quantify their collectiveimpact. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, my focus will be on writing and dissemination. I will finalize data analysis and prepare and submit three journal articles based on project research. I will present findings at at least one conference. I will continue to convene the CLRFS Urban Agriculture and Undoing Inequality in the Food System working groups. For the Urban Agriculture Working Group, I will work on preparing a journal article based off of survey results, finalize a database of resources related to urban agriculture for Extension personnel, and determine what the group would like to accomplish next. With the co-leaders of the Undoing Inequality in the Food System Working Group, I will use the results of our survey of CLRFS members to determine the group'sfuture direction and activities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? As part of this the growing interest in local foods, urban agriculture is becoming more widespread in the United States. Urban agriculture is popular, in part,because it brings together environmental quality, social justice, community development, public health, and economic vitality--issues that are central to the sustainability and livability of urban environments. Urban agriculture's potential benefits include increasing access to fresh produce, beautifying vacant lots, creating community centers, and providing educational opportunities. Applied research is needed to address the needs of this new and expanding field. The urban agriculture landscape is complicated by the fact that urban agriculture takes many forms (ranging from home gardens to urban farms to farmers markets) and involves many different actors with different goals. The goal of this project is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the benefits, limitations, and trade-offs between four of the most common forms of urban agriculture in Santa Clara County, CA: home gardens, community gardens, farmers markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. To assess how much food urban agriculture contributes to the local food supply, we have worked with urban farms and urban gardeners to measure and record their harvests. We have also surveyed gardeners, farmers' market shoppers, and CSA customers to learn who is being reached by these various forms of urban agriculture and what impact participation has had on nutrition, food security, social connectedness, knowledge about food and agriculture, and civic engagement. To place the results of this study in a broader context and to foster learning and collaboration among Extension Educators involved in urban agriculture nationwide, the Project Director (PD) is taking part in the leadership and management of the eXtension Community, Local & Regional Food Systems (CLRFS) Community of Pratice. Goal 1. In 2015, a total of 88 gardeners recorded the amount and type of produce they harvested from their gardens. In the fall of 2015, we entered, checked, and analyzed this data. The PDprovided individual gardeners with a summary of their garden output. We also prepared a report that presents preliminary findings from this research, which was shared with gardeners, community garden leaders, garden program managers, and other members of the local food system. A number of gardeners have continued to weigh their produce on their own and La Mesa Verde, a program that teaches low-income families to grow their own organic produce, implemented its own harvest measurementproject in the summer of 2016 with support from the PD and Dr. Leslie Gray, the PD's primary mentor. We found that individual gardeners' harvested a median of 70 pounds of fresh produce over a two-month period at the peak of the summer growing season. Using data on prices per pound collected from local grocery store chains, we calculated that the median retail value of this harvest was $252. We also converted produce weights into cups of produce in order to compare the volume of produce grown with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans' recommendations for vegetable consumption. From July to August, the typical gardener grew more than enough for an individual adult to meet the MyPlate vegetable consumption recommendations: gardeners grew 120% of the recommended cups of dark green vegetables (e.g., broccoli, collards, spinach), more than 200% the recommended cups of red-orange vegetables (e.g., carrots, red peppers, tomatoes), and more than 300% the recommended cups of other vegetables (e.g., cucumbers, green beans, and zucchini). About one-half of the gardeners who volunteered to weigh their harvest were low-income, beginning gardeners who were participating in home gardening programs that taught organic vegetable gardening to low-income families. The harvest by these gardeners was similar to what other gardeners achieved. In winter and fall, these low-incomegardeners reported growing about 30% of the produce their families ate and in the summer they reported growing roughly 60% of the produce their families ate. In addition, urban gardens were an important source of culturally acceptable foods, which is one dimension of the USDA definition of food security. Gardeners were able to produce culturally significant crops that they either couldn't find at local retail outlets or that thought were too expensive or too poor quality at those stores. Many gardeners also desired organic produce but could not afford to purchase it at the store, so they were able to access this preferred food by growing their own. Goal 2. In 2015 we surveyed a total of 874 urban agriculture participants (a combination of gardeners, farmers market shoppers, and CSA members). We have also interviewed 51 members of the local food system. In 2016, we began to analyze our survey and interview data. We found that in our study area, farmers market patrons were the most socioeconomically and racially diverse group, while CSA members were the least. Each of the four forms of urban agriculture (home gardens, community gardens, farmers markets, and CSA programs) had similar impacts on participants' nutrition. For instance, 84% of home gardeners, 75% of community gardeners, 83% of farmers market patrons, and 79% of CSA members reported eating more fruits and vegetables since they started participating in urban agriculture. Gardening and farmers markets had a greater impact on social relationships than CSAs. For instance, 69% of home gardeners, 86% of community gardeners, and 67% of farmers market patrons reported meeting people from different backgrounds through their participation in urban agriculture, compared to only 14% of CSA members. Learning about food, agriculture, and the environment was higher among gardeners and CSA members than farmers market patrons. Finally, participation in all forms of urban agriculture had the least impact on levels of civic engagement. However, gardeners were more likely than either farmers market shoppers or CSA members to have become involved in their community or in the political process. Goal 3. The CLRFS working group on urban agriculture developed, implemented, and analyzed a survey assessing the extent of Extension's involvement in urban agriculture nationwide. 147 people completed this survey. A group of 7 CLRFS members co-authored a report on the survey results. This report is posted on the eXtension website and was circulated to the CLRFS listserv, which reaches more than 400 people. Currently, the PD is working on writing a journal manuscript based on the survey results and is compiling a list of Extension resources related tourban agriculturethat were identified through the survey to share with the CLRFS membership and on eXtension's website. The PD also leads a working group on Undoing Inequality in the Food System. In winter 2016, the PD organized a web presentation from a leader in food system planning for this group. In the summer of 2016, we recruited two volunteer leaders for this group from the South Dakota and Maryland Extension systems. Under their leadership, we created a survey for members of the CLRFS to determine what participants would like this working group to accomplish and how they would like to contribute. As of this writing, that survey is still open.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Susan Algert, Lucy Diekmann, Marian Renvall, and Leslie Gray. April - June 2016. "Community and home gardens increase vegetable intake and food security of residents in San Jose, California." California Agriculture. 70(2):77-82.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Susan J. Algert, Aziz Baameur, Lucy O. Diekmann, Leslie Gray, and Diego Ortiz. 2016. "Vegetable Output, Cost Savings and Nutritional Value of Low-Income Families' Home Gardens in San Jose, CA. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition. 11(3): 328-336.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lucy Diekmann and Leslie Gray. Assessing the Impacts of Urban Agriculture in Santa Clara County, California. Paper presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers in San Francisco, CA.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lucy Diekmann, Leslie Gray, and Gregory Baker. Assessing Urban Gardens' Contributions to Food Security. Paper presented at the 26th Annual International Food and Agribusiness Management Association World Conference in Aarhus, Denmark.
Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lucy Diekmann, Leslie Gray, and Gregory Baker. May 2016. Food gardening in Santa Clara County: Preliminary results. Santa Clara, CA: Santa Clara University.
Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lucy Diekmann, Julie Dawson, Jacqueline Kowalski, Brian Raison, Marcia Ostrom, Rob Bennaton, and Connie Fisk. May 2016. Preliminary Results: Survey of Extension's Role in Urban Agriculture. Community, Local & Regional Food Systems Community of Practice.

Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:In the first year of this grant, I have reached: 1) Home gardeners and community gardeners in Santa Clara County by engaging them as citizen scientists who are collecting data from their gardens for this research project. A subset of these gardeners are members of two home gardening programs that provide education and materials to low-income families. As part of this effort, I have given presentations to both home gardening programs and at four community gardens in different parts of the county. 2) Undergraduate students through experiential learning opportunities provided to student volunteers and student researchers employed to help with the research project. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided opportunities to develop new skills in survey development, enhance qualitative research skills, and improve collaboration skills through work with members of the CLRFS CoP and with members of the local food system. I am developing my skills as a supervisor and mentor by managing undergraduate researchers. I have taken advantage of opportunities on campus to receive additional training in project and data management. I have met biweekly with my primary mentor, Leslie Gray, and the director of the University's Food and Agribusiness Institute to discuss research design and survey development. Dr. Gray and I also put together a panel on "Urban Agriculture at the Frontiers of Food Access" for the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences 2015 Conference, where I presented preliminary findings from this study. Collaborating mentor Susan Algert has included me in developing grant applications and we have co-authored one publication that has been submitted. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Preliminary results from this study were presented at the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences 2015 Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, data collection and analysis will be completed. Results will be shared with study participants and their feedback will be solicited. In addition, I will present the findings at two conferences and prepare and submit three journal manuscripts. I will continue to convene the CRLFS Urban Agriculture and Undoing Inequality in the Food System working groups. The Urban Agriculture Working Group will conduct its survey of Extension professionals nationwide to learn more about Cooperative Extension's role in urban agriculture. The results will be shared with the CRLFS group and included in a journal manuscript on that topic. The Undoing Inequality in the Food System working group will put together webinar presentations on relevant topics. I will use my research findings to create content for the CLRFS CoP.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the United States, interest in urban agriculture has been growing in part because it brings together environmental sustainability, social justice, and public health--issues that are central to the alternative food movement as well as to urban livability. Balancing these multiple goals will require a comprehensive assessment of the benefits and barriers associated with the most common forms of urban agriculture. This study assesses the health, social, and economic impacts as well as the limitations of five common types of urban agriculture--home gardens, community gardens, urban farms, farmers' markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs--in Santa Clara County, California. To determine how much food urban agriculture contributes to the local food supply, we are working with home and community gardeners to record how much they have grown during the winter and summer growing season this year. We are surveying gardeners, farmers' market shoppers, and CSA members to assess the impact of participating in urban agriculture on nutrition, food security, eating habits, knowledge about food and agriculture, social capital, and community engagement. Interviews with farmers, gardeners, farmers' market managers, CSA operators and others in the local food system help us identify urban agriculture's limitations and challenges. To place the results of this study in a broader context and to foster learning and collaboration among extension educators involved in urban agriculture nationwide, we are taking part in the leadership and management of the eXtension Community, Local, and Regional Food Systems (CLRFS) Community of Practice (CoP). Goal 1. During February and March 2015, 20 gardeners recorded how much they harvested from their garden by crop. In addition, they noted what portion of their harvest they consumed themselves and what portion was given away and to whom. For the summer 2015 growing season, which is ongoing, 90 gardeners are recording the same information. Of these, 42 gardeners are participating in home gardening programs for low-income San Jose and Gilroy residents. In the winter growing season, gardeners harvested more than 1600 pounds of fruits and vegetables. In the summer growing season to-date, gardeners have harvested more than 2900 pounds of fruits and vegetables. Goal 2. During this reporting period, we have surveyed 146 gardeners. We have surveyed 38 farmers' market shoppers. Survey data collection is ongoing. We have also interviewed 37 members of the local food system, including farmers, gardeners, CSA operators, and farmers' market managers. Goal 3. We have organized and convened an Urban Agriculture Working Group as part of the CLRFS CoP. Thirty people have expressed interest in this working group and are active members of the group email list. Nine people have participated in conference calls for this group. An additional eight people took part in an interest group meeting at the CLRFS conference held in Cleveland, OH on October 1, 2014. We have drafted a national survey on Cooperative Extension's role in urban agriculture, which will conduct this fall. We have also organized another CLRFS working group on Undoing Inequality in the Food System. Eleven people took part in the first conference call for this group. We are in the process of organizing a presentation on this topic by a leader in the field.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: S.J. Algert, L.O. Diekmann, L. Gray, and M.J. Renvall. Community and home gardens increase vegetable intake and food security of residents of San Jose.
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: L. Diekmann. Promoting home food gardens for community benefit: A case study from California's Silicon Valley, presented at the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Conference, UC San Diego, 2015.