MAPPING DIVERSE SERVICES FROM ALTERNATIVE URBAN FOOD PROVISIONING NETWORKS AND IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY SUPPORT

This transdisciplinary research willcharacterizethe activities and outcomes of alternative urban food provisioning networks (AUFPNs), evaluating their impact on key food systems outcomes (including food security, resilience, cultural expression, biodiversity, and urban environmental quality), and identifying opportunities for policy support. Our project is guided by an overarching goal and four research objectives. The overall goal of our project is to map, measure the services of, and identify factors contributing to and limiting the success of AUFPNs of immigrant communities and communities of color in three East Coast cities--metropolitan Providence, Rhode Island; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, DC--representing a range of biophysical, social, and cultural environments and policy contexts for UA.Specific objectives of the project are:To identify and measure ecosystem services provided by AUFPNs and their impact on food security and human and ecosystem health.To map connections across actors and flows of resources in AUFPNs.To identify environmental, infrastructural, policy, socioeconomic, and network factors contributing to and limiting the success of AUFPNs, particularly food production.To translate project results into Extension products with measurable impacts on the food security and human and ecosystem health of the focal communities.