“How do we measure justice?”: missions and metrics in urban agriculture

Abstract

This paper offers a critical analysis of program evaluation in contemporary urban agriculture. Drawing on data from an exploratory study designed at the request of and in collaboration with urban agriculture practitioners in Massachusetts, it describes both their critiques of extant practices of program evaluation and their visions for alternative ways of telling the story of their work. Related, it explores practitioners' interest in building capacity for policy advocacy, working collectively to create transformative social change, and, related, establishing new kinds of relationships with state and philanthropic funders. Building on scholarship that has observed that urban agriculture is characterized by an internal contradiction-i.e., its simultaneous orientation to "neoliberal" (social service) and "radical" (social justice) agendas (McClintock in Local Environ 19:147-171, 2014)-this analysis calls attention, especially, to the complex role of metrics, which may not only entrench neoliberalism in UA organizations, but also provide a mechanism for challenging its assumptions and advancing the radical project of food justice.

The resilience and viability of farmers markets in the United States as an alternative food network: case studies from Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The industrial food system will not change itself” (835). While there are other examples of AFNs successfully mobilizing change during the pandemic, the widespread, long-term impact of these changes remains unclear (Shostak 2022 ). The system shock of the global COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted food access and behaviors, and the farmers markets in this study demonstrated a resiliency to the shock that had the effect of increasing profits for vendors and increasing food access and affordability for many Michigan families who turned to the market for dependable access to safe produce.…”

Assessing the implications of farm advisory services of Model Farm Services Center from a Productivity Perspective

“…The agricultural production can be raised via the timely and rapid provision of credit facilities (Habib & Disbursed, 2015). There is also need for distributive justice in terms of social, financial, and material inclusion in regards to farm advisory, because selective patronage will dilute the efficacy of these types of programs (Shostak, 2022). Providing high quality seed is a key in regards to enhancing agricultural productivity.…”