Source: GLOBAL GROWERS NETWORK INC submitted to
CLARKSTON FOOD INITIATIVE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1010147
Grant No.
2016-33800-25580
Project No.
GEOW-2016-02396
Proposal No.
2016-02396
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
LN.B
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2016
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2018
Grant Year
2016
Project Director
Chanin, R.
Recipient Organization
GLOBAL GROWERS NETWORK INC
1763 BIG VALLEY WAY
STONE MOUNTAIN,GA 30083
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The city of Clarkston, Georgia in metro Atlanta is one of the most culturally-diverse square miles in the US, with 46% of residents foreign-born refugees and immigrants. Because refugees arrive with limited or no English proficiency and experience high poverty rates, many struggle to understandthe American food system and cannot afford fresh, healthy, culturally-appropriate foods. Meanwhile, local refugee & immigrant farmers who could provide affordable traditional foods have not found profitable markets in Clarkston.The Clarkston Food Initiative will gather evidence to support community-based, culturally- appropriate approaches to overcoming these barriers, by convening a Food Planning Network (FPN) that includes at least 60% representatives from the Clarkston-based refugee community, as well as a minority of representatives from local government and food businesses. The goals of this project and the FPN are to 1) identify priorities for food system development and 2) develop community-based strategies to work towards these local priorities. With our partners at the IRC, we will conduct a cultural food needs assessment of low-income, international Clarkston residents to build evidence for food and nutrition-related needs of refugee families. The FPN, with support from Global Growers, will assess food needs and preferences of consumers and the marketing needs of producers in order to meet the needs of refugee farmers and low-income, refugee consumers by developing culturally-appropriate strategies for food access and sales. With support from the partner organizations in this proposal, the collaborative Food Planning Network will explore community linkages and map existing assets in order to make strategic recommendations for long- term local food system development in Clarkston that mutually benefits producers and consumers.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
60860993080100%
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Identify priorities for food system development. Objective 1: Conduct a cultural food needs assessment of low-income, international Clarkston residents related to culturally-specific food needs for consumers and producers.Goal 2: Develop community-based strategies to work towards priorities identified in Goal 1Objective 2a: Meet the economic needs of agricultural producers and low-income consumers in Clarkston through the creation of innovative marketing and entrepreneurial activities that mitigate culturally-specific barriers to food access and sales.
Project Methods
Activities to Achieve Outcome 1a:1a) Design a culturally and linguistically appropriate survey2a) Pilot the survey with 15 IRC client families, then collect and evaluate feedback in order to make necessary revisions.3a) Train IRC and Global Growers volunteers and interpreters, including students from the IRC Youth Food Justice program, to administer the survey.4a) Volunteers and interpreters will administer the survey with oversight and guidance provided by the GG Community Builder and IRC New Roots Coordinator. The survey will be completed by: a) refugees arriving for appointments at the IRC office, b) refugee families living in Clarkston (door knocks), and c) refugee families who are participants at community garden projects.5a) Analyze survey results with support from IRC Technical Advisors.Outcome 1b: Formalize a community-based, collaborative Food Planning NetworkOutput 1b: Convene the various local community groups, organizations, businesses, and government entities to explore community linkages and map existing assetsActivities to Achieve Outcome 1b:1b) With key support from the partner organizations (see Part II), GG will conduct outreach among Network projects, community groups, and faith-based groups in order to identify a diverse group of potential participants who have been in the Clarkston area for at least two years. Our project team partners (see letters of support) from the Clarkston community will be essential to supporting these outreach efforts and playing an active role in the development of the Food Planning Network.2b) Through this outreach, GG will identify participants to serve on the local Food Planning Network (FPN), with anticipated participation from refugee producers, refugee consumers, refugee community leaders, local food businesses and organizations, and government representatives from the City of Clarkston. 3b) Host two open informational sessions for groups and community members interested in the Food Planning Network, with the purpose of sharing survey results and a project overview.4b) Arrange an initial meeting with committed stakeholders of the Food Planning Network (FPN) to a) suggest additional partners and b) identify initial goals and motivations of each member. The Food Planning Network will have at least ten (10) participants, with representation from refugee food producers, refugee food consumers, and local stakeholders from nonprofit, business, and governmental organizations. GG will ensure that refugee participants make up at least 60% of the Food Planning Network.5b) GG will convene the Food Planning Network four (4) times.Activities to Achieve Outcome 2a:1a) The Food Planning Network (FPN), with support from the GG Community Builder, will develop open-ended discussion questions related to consumer shopping habits, including but not limited to: use of EBT/SNAP, market style preferences, shopping preferences (location, days, times), product preferences, and opportunities for improving food access of diverse Clarkston residents. 2a) The FPN will plan and host five (5) town hall-style community meetings in Clarkston with at least 75 attendees. The purpose of the community meeting include to identify consumer preferences and suggestions for strategies to improve local food sales opportunities so they are culturally-appropriate for the diverse community. The meetings will also share information about local resources to support food system development.Outcome 2b: Assess marketing needs of producersOutput 2b: Conduct interviews with ten (10) local refugee farmers to discuss current market conditions/venues and the economic, educational, and market needs of producersActivities to Achieve Outcome 2b:1b) The Food Planning Network (FPN), with support from the GG Community Builder, will develop interview questions for local refugee food producers that are responsive to consumer priorities.2b) The GG community builder will conduct interviews with ten (10) local food producers to discuss current market conditions and their strategies to improve local market access.3b) The FPN will review interview results and produce recommendations for future actions and steps in order to strategically address improving food access and market access for refugee producers and consumers in Clarkston, GA.

Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Georgia ranks seventh nationally in the number of refugees resettled annually and is home to approximately 90,000 new Americans. The city of Clarkston, GA in metro Atlanta is one of the most culturally-diverse square miles in the US. In the 1990s, the city was identified as an ideal place to resettle refugees fleeing war and persecution, due to its wide range of affordable housing and convenience to public transportation. Today, the local high school has students from 54 countries and a local mosque has over 800 members. Refugee resettlement has recently spread to adjacent parts of DeKalb County, but Clarkston remains a hub for the international community, boasting a variety of refugee-owned businesses, faith communities, and nonprofit organizations. Demographics: The city of Clarkston has a very high population density, with over 7,800 residents in 1.1 square mile. In 2012, Clarkston was 60.7% black, including people of African descent; 19.5% Asian; 13.1% white, including people of Middle Eastern descent; and 3.3% Hispanic. According to the US Census Bureau, 51% of Clarkston residents are foreign-born, with the majority arriving from Burma, Bhutan, Congo, and Iraq. More than 64 languages are spoken. Income: The average hourly wage of GA refugees employed full-time is $8.31, according to the GA Refugee Program's (GRP) 2014 annual report. The City of Clarkston has a 42% poverty rate, nearly 300% higher than the GA average (18%). 31% of residents are on food stamps. Food and Nutrition: Many refugees come from camps or other areas where food supplies are limited, leading to high rates of chronic health conditions such as hypertension, malnutrition, vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetes, and anemia. At least 30% of International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta's clients arrive with chronic health conditions. Many new Americans in Clarkston find employment in the industrial food system and, because of their economic status, are considered to be food- insecure; yet they come from agrarian societies with significant agricultural skills. Changes/Problems:Staff Turnover: In 2017, Community Development Manager Decton Hylton experienced significant health issues that hindered his ability to complete this project according to the original timeline. As such, Global Growers requested and was granted an extension for the project. Decton resigned in December 2017. In March 2018, Yarrow Koning was hired to continue the work. Community Forums: While the original proposal included five town hall meetings, Global Growers elected instead to host community forums in partnership with organizations throughout Clarkston. The community forums served the same purpose as the town hall style meetings, but were designed to be more accommodating to the needs of refugee communities. The more intimate spaces made it easier to address language differences in the space and, in the case of the Arabic women's forum, even allow for conversation to happen in the participants' native language. Additionally, participants were able to speak freely, as many had preexisting relationships with each other that would continue beyond the boundaries of the forum. Community forums provided healthy refreshments, children's activities, and resources that participants could take home with them. Participants were also given the opportunity to ask questions about a variety of topics, including community gardens, nutrition, shopping on a budget, organic vs non-organic foods, local farmers markets, and EBT/SNAP. Formalizing Food Planning Network: Although Food Planning Network meetings had strong participation levels, most refugee community members were not interested in formalizing their commitment to the network. Food Planning Network meetings still served their intended purposes, providing crucial input on CFI projects, reviewing consumer food survey questions, identifying topics for community forums, and sharing their visions for local food in Clarkston. However, the Food Planning Network had revolving membership. Participants attended meetings as they were able, but did not want to commit to regular meetings or the amount of community organizing labor listed in the project proposal. While CFI intends to continue the Food Planning Network as a space for community involvement, CFI will need to restructure FPN to encourage fuller community leadership. Some strategies being considered include compensating community members for organizing work, holding caucuses within different language and culture groups, and identifying more refugee leadership to facilitate the Food Planning Network meetings. ? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the consumer food survey process, 10 refugee high schoolers through the IRC's Youth Food Justice program and Global Growers Summer Garden Team received training in survey implementation. During the Youth Forum, 5 refugee high schoolers from the 2018 Summer Garden Team received training in community organizing, group facilitation, and event planning and promotion. High schoolers represented eight countries of origin -- Bhutan, Myanmar, Burundi, Afghanistan, Thailand, Pakistan, Jordan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the first Food Planning Network meeting, IRC New Roots Coordinator Katie Hiebert conducted an Educational Needs Assessment, where participants identified educational topics relevant to themselves and their communities. As a result of this input, Global Growers has provided two workshops in pest management with a total of 19 attendees and created a seasonal planting chart for garden education. Although these outputs were not funded by NIFA, they would not have happened without the input provided through the Food Planning Network. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Global Growers Community Development Intern Erendira Fortanel Herrera compiled the qualitative and quantitative data into a Clarkston Food Assessment report to be shared with CFI members and other stakeholders. CFI will continue to refer back to this report to inform future projects. Additionally, consumer survey results will be shared with Food Planning Network participants in early 2019. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? GOAL #1 - Identify priorities for food system development. CFI members conducted a food needs assessment of 97 international Clarkston residents. In summer of 2017, Global Growers Community Development Intern Ash Dawson created the pilot consumer food survey with guidance from former Community Development Manager Decton Hylton and in partnership with International Rescue Committee (IRC) staff. On July 14, 2017, the Global Growers Summer Garden Team (SGT) piloted the survey with 20 residents of the Lakes at Indian Creek apartment complex. SGT members included four Clarkston High School students who collectively represented four countries of origin and spoke six languages. SGT members knocked on doors and guided residents through survey questions, recording their responses and interpreting as needed. On November 1, 2017, six interns from the IRC's Youth Food Justice program conducted the survey with 37 residents of the Willow Branch apartment complexes. Interns represented four countries of origin and collectively spoke five languages . This second survey included optional demographic questions not featured in the pilot survey. In August 2018, Global Growers collected an additional 40 surveys. Reviewing demographics from 2017 surveys revealed a gap in participation from Arabic residents. To address that gap, Global Growers Community Development Associate Kafkas Shakir collected 6 surveys from Arabic women. Global Growers collaborated with Friends of Refugees to collect 34 consumer surveys from English as a Second Language students at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, located in Clarkston. Global Growers also launched the Food Planning Network, a collaborative space for refugee community members to provide leadership and input on CFI projects. On September 23, 2017, Global Growers hosted an informational session at Clarkston International Garden. 21 growers and community members attended the meeting. Participants discussed the formation of the Food Planning Network and the consumer food surveys. CFI members convened three Food Planning Network meetings with a total of 27 participants. The first meeting took place at Memorial Drive Ministries. 18 community members attended. Participants received an overview of the Food Planning Network and its relationship to Global Growers and the Clarkston Food Initiative. IRC New Roots Coordinator conducted an educational needs assessment, asking participants to identify personal and collective areas of interest related to gardening, nutrition, and local food. Global Growers facilitated a discussion of several CFI projects, including the development of health and nutrition resources, consumer food surveys, and community forums. The second meeting was held in partnership with the Clarkston Community Center garden. 13 community members participated. Participants discussed current CFI projects, upcoming classes and events, and increasing garden space in apartment complexes. Participants also did a visioning activity about the future of food in Clarkston, during which they identified home gardens, community gardens, and markets for locally grown food as top priorities. On July 21, 2018, the third Food Planning Meeting was held at Jolly Avenue Garden. 12 community members attended. Participants discussed their experience with garden policies and growing space at Clarkston apartment complexes. They also received a presentation from the Georgia Farmers Market Association about ideas for a farmer's market in Clarkston. GOAL#2: Develop community-based strategies to work towards priorities identified in Goal 1. Global Growers convened six community forums with a total of 78 participants. During each forum, participants discussed barriers to healthy eating and shared their visions for the future of food in Clarkston. Columbia Theological Seminary (CTS). CTS currently provides seven garden plots for refugee families in its campus garden. 16 refugee growers and CTS students discussed barriers to healthy eating, ideas to increase local food access, and plans for their shared garden space. The CTS forum also served as an important space to build relationships between refugee growers and CTS students who garden side by side. Memorial Drive Ministries in partnership with Shalom International Ministry. Shalom is a pan-African congregation serving immigrants and refugees in the greater Clarkston area. 13 participants discussed barriers to healthy eating, food justice, food in Clarkston's public schools, and ideas for the future of food in Clarkston. Participants also had the opportunity to ask garden-related questions and to learn about a community garden Global Growers recently launched on church property. 2018 Summer Garden Team members organized the third community forum which focused on Clarkston youth. SGT members, all refugee high schoolers living in the greater Clarkston area, planned and promoted the event. The Youth Forum featured educational games and activities for nine refugee youth, along with a discussion of food issues in Clarkston. The discussion emphasized issues with healthy food access in Clarkston area high schools. Clarkston Public Library. Global Growers Community Development Associate Kafkas Shakir invited Arabic women living in the greater Clarkston area and facilitated the discussion in Arabic. Six participants discussed barriers to healthy eating, problems with buying local food on a budget, and healthy eating resources available to low-income populations. The fifth and sixth community forums were both held at Georgia Piedmont Technical College's English as a Second Language program. Global Growers partnered with Friends of Refugees to lead two discussions of barriers to healthy eating with 34 immigrant and refugee adults. Forum participants also took the consumer food survey. The community forums provided valuable information on the barriers that refugee and immigrant communities face to accessing healthy food. Barriers mentioned include: cost, availability of fresh produce, lack of healthy food in schools, transportation, difficulty reading nutrition labels, difficulty accessing culturally appropriate foods, lack of nutrition knowledge, and lack of time to prepare healthy meals. Most participants stated that their cultural diets were much healthier than the standard American diet. They also shared that it was difficult to find fresh produce at an affordable price, and that price was the main factor determining where they shop. When asked about their visions for the future of food in Clarkston, participants wanted to see more growing space, more fresh produce, more markets for local food, better food in schools, and more resources on nutrition and healthy eating. Global Growers conducted 10 interviews with refugee farmers. Interviews included questions on current sales practices, market needs, and long-term goals. Global Growers interviewed eight farmers currently selling through Global Growers market outlets. The remaining two farmers primarily sell to other refugee community members and through produce stands at Clarkston apartment complexes. Farmers shared information about their current sales practices. Farmers also discussed challenges: not receiving high enough prices for their produce, production being higher than sales, high costs of production, former customers starting to grow their own food, lack of access to seeds, land, and market supplies, lack of time to pursue new sales outlets, language barriers, confusion about license and permitting requirements, and lack of transportation. For their sales endeavors outside of Global Growers markets, especially for apartment complex sales, farmers reported a lack of access to supplies necessary to have a successful produce stand. These included coolers to store the food, tents to protect the food from the sun, and tables on which to display the produce. ?

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