Action Research

12. Action Research • The Center on Policy Initiatives is a “think and do” tank that uses communications, research and organizing to improve the lives of working families in the San Diego region. • Data and EmpowermentWe work with many small non-profits that do community organizing in low-income and immigrant communities that need data to strengthen the work they do. Many have asked us to provide technical assistance for pulling and using data from sources such as Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, etc. CPI would like to work with USP students to meet these research requests. This would entail finding and pulling the data and also creating fact sheets or brief reports for the groups to use to communicate the findings. In the non-profit advocacy world, using data to put your work in context is invaluable for communicating with decision makers and funders. This is an opportunity to learn how to use data to create change at the local level. Start and end dates are flexible. • What is the economic impact of food justice projects :CPI in collaboration with other community groups is seeking to answer the following question:  What is the economic impact of food justice projects such as farmer markers, community gardens and other small, local food production in immigrant and low-income communities in San Diego?  Food justice is rarely analyzed as an economic development tool.  However, projects to alleviate “food deserts” such as farmers markets, community gardens and other local food production are small-scale economic development strategies, which arise within the community and improve quality of life.  These projects should be supported using public economic development dollars directed by residents.  Yet, low-income communities are seldom included in these decisions. • San Diego Roots • San Diego Roots does not yet have research ties with local universities, only relationships to allow on-farm learning experience for students. We would like to see food system planning on the action research agenda for the region. The negative environmental, health, and economic impacts of our global and synthetic input-based food system are advanced enough that now is the time for change. However, this topic is not yet enough at the forefront of politicians’ and the public’s mindset, so high-profile research on how to make change, as well as public discourse, is so necessary now. Pressing research topics include: how best to get healthy, locally-produced food into all communities in the region; how to balance affordability of this food with living wages for farmers; how to protect our farmland and create new urban farmland in the face of high property value.

13. Food Research Challenges • Empower San Diego • Something we find very lacking in the realm of research about the local San Diego region is on the topic of civic engagement.  More research on the state of local civic engagement and potential solutions to improving civic engagement, especially with local historically underrepresented communities, would be very helpful for several local initiatives. • Feeding America San DiegoResearch and statistical data is extremely important for all the work that Feeding America San Diego does. We are always in the process and need of assessing the need for food resources or the lack thereof in various regions of San Diego County, assessing our own services and ability to meet this need, predicting our own growth and ability to meet needs in the future, policy issues, and analyzing specific data in regards to food stamps. This information and data is vital to effectively conducting our work and mission and being transparent and responsible to our donors and grants. We have previously worked with UCSD to create a series of GIS maps that showed poverty in different regions of San Diego and where our agencies are located. This helps us better assess what areas of San Diego need more services. There is however, many more maps and data that could help our organization better meet these needs. In addition, further research and data is needed in the realm of public benefits in San Diego County, particularly food stamps, as we have the lowest participation rate in the county and research could better help understand why and create more concrete ways to solve these problems. We would like to see data in regards to approvals and denials for cases, the reasons for them, and how clients are spending their dollars. • International Rescue Committee, Urban Agriculture The Urban Agriculture Intern’s objectives are to develop culturally diverse and educational signage and a mural for the IRC urban aquaponics site to aid knowledge of urban agriculture opportunities to the public. The intern will be responsible for researching, designing, creating and promoting useful signage. Candidates must be creative, have knowledge of urban agriculture systems and work well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. • Composting and Nutrient Recycling Pilot Project InternThe objectives for the pilot project are to promote composting to City Heights residents and establish a site for green waste recycling in connection to the New Roots Community Farm. Additionally, we are seeking to strengthen relationships with local businesses to collaborate with local composting. The interns’ responsibilities include developing a project proposal for a composting system, organizing and leading 2-3 on site composting classes and collaborating with other community partners to develop project sustainability. Qualified candidates have a knowledge and interest of composting, vermicomposting and urban agriculture; have working knowledge of a project proposal; and work well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

14. Food Research Challenges, cont. • Paloma Pollinators • Identifying Barriers and Solutions for Regional Food Consumption in Hotels, Restaurants and Institutions (HRI)Description: work with Sean Kriletich via email and phone survey Hotels Restaurants and Institutions regarding the implementation of regionally produced foods into their menus.  Surveys will be developed and administered which will help us to understand the price points, product availability requirements etc that would allow HRIs to become part of the growing move towards bioregional food systems.  • The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative • There are a number of opportunities to buy local, fresh farmed products in San Diego County, which has over 40 different Farmers’ Markets.  With the ability to purchase products with a credit or debit card, how do sales change?  The Farmers’ Market Point of Service (POS) Terminal Pilot project looks at this question, specifically at four (4) specific Farmers’ Markets who have installed credit and debit card POS terminals and tracked their transactions.  This internship involves compilation, analysis, evaluation and documentation of the sales data to assess profitability of debit and credit card acceptance in generating new sales revenue.  Student will compile and analyze the credit card, debit card, EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) and other data through summaries, visual graphs/charts and/or other financial analysis tools in one summary report.  In addition, student will interview managers of the four (4) specific Farmers’ Markets to collect empirical evidence of the sales activities at these POS terminals, also to be documented in the summary report.  More information about this pilot project is avaialble at:  http://ourcommunityourkids.org/media/4279/Business (POS Terminals) UPLOAD May 2011.doc • Worm Farming • This is primarily a research task focused on identifying and ranking vermicompost current users and user candidates among pre-defined user categories. That includes farms, greenhouse operations, golf courses, parks, and campuses. It’s geographic scope includes San Diego County, Temecula wine country, the Coachella Valley, and the Imperial Valley. Concurrently, research will determine sources of compost feedstock in the local area with emphasis on animal manure sources. An effort will be made to quantify the positive impact of vermicompost use on regional ecosystems and to identify critically sensitive locations that would benefit from vermicompost adoption.

15. The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD) Calls for Papers • (1) Higher Education and Food Systems (deadline: December 1, 2011) • A growing number of colleges and universities are making serious efforts to increase their ecological sustainability through conscious change in very • specific aspects of teaching, research, operations, and public engagement. In addition to adopting practices such as LEED-certified construction, green cleaning supplies, and sustainability education programming, many are focusing specifically on food- and agriculture-related sustainability issues, including developing local food procurement for their student food services, adopting composting and other food waste management practices, establishing demonstration farms, gardens and CSAs, supporting student food and agriculture groups, and programming in support of public engagement in food and agricultural policy. Many institutions of higher learning now offer food-related courses and academic programs. • Furthermore, the topic of food systems is increasingly found across a broad range of social sciences course curricula and is no longer solely in the arena of agricultural colleges. Progressive colleges and universities are not only in a position to graduate students as who are well informed about the issues and prepared to be food citizens, but also to model reasoned investigation and informed public discussion of issues — and therefore to influence public policy in other aspects of society and the economy. • In this special topic call we invite researchers, administrators, graduate students, NGO staff members, and others to submit manuscripts featuring results of surveys, case studies, policy analyses, review articles, reflective essays, commentaries, and the like in which they examine the ways colleges and universities are pursuing their food system sustainability goals and the extent to which they are finding success. • Examples of topics include: • * Survey of campus sustainability coordinators related to best practices in food system–related activities • * Census of student farms and gardens • * Survey of student organizations to inventory and assess student-led programs and activities • * Comparative analysis of food system curriculum within and across disciplines or institutions • * Innovations in programming by institutions of higher education, including private and community colleges in addition to land grant colleges • * Comparison of institutional use of local food • * Employment prospects for graduates of food system sustainability programs • * Analysis of trends in tenure track positions and funded research • * Analysis of food systems education and the liberal arts • * The role of higher education social networks related to food and agriculture • * Case study of university-based local food system projects or community-university partnerships • * Analysis of food system education curricula and course syllabi • See more details and printable flyers at JAFSCD's calls for papers at http://www.agdevjournal.com/current-special-topic-call.html.

16. (2) Sustainable Livelihoods in Food Systems • While industrialization and globalization of the food system continue to lead to declining numbers of midsized farms and more low-wage employment, emerging regional food systems appear to be creating some new occupational opportunities, including the emergence of green-collar sustainable occupations such as farmer trainers, farm  managers, agriculture teaching positions certifiers, and consultants. At the core of regional food system growth, family farms are producing new crops and cultivating techniques that are entrepreneurial and high risk. Indeed, economics continue to challenge the viability of even the most progressive operation. From a public policy perspective, the growth of sustainable livelihoods in the food system will require fair prices and competitive markets for farmers, fair wages for workers, safe working conditions, and a well-trained workforce. • Topics of interest might include: • * Local food livelihood development as a strategy for improved food security • * Emerging or declining farm- and food-related occupations • * New skills required in emerging food systems (e.g., line workers in • farm-to-school programs) • * Occupational data trends and issues in emerging food systems • * Small-scale food processing livelihoods • * Farm worker trends and issues (e.g., regarding migrant labor, guest • workers, apprentices, etc.) • * Studies of innovations in microenterprise, entrepreneurship, and • occupational education programming • * Food, health, and new products and enterprises • * Changes to subsistence practices due to globalization • * Analysis of foundation, public, and private-sector investment in food • systems businesses • * Analysis of policies promoting and/or discouraging emerging systems and • their implications and effects on local occupations, economics, and health • * Emerging livelihoods in sustainable livestock production • See more details and printable flyers at JAFSCD's calls for papers at http://www.agdevjournal.com/current-special-topic-call.html.