Increasing access to fresh produce by pairing urban farms with corner stores: a case study in a low-income urban setting

Background: Post-earthquake studies from around the world have reported that survivors relying on emergency food for prolonged periods of time experienced several dietary related health problems. The present study aimed to quantify the potential nutrient production of urban agricultural vegetables and the resulting nutritional self-sufficiency throughout the year for mitigating post-disaster situations. Methods: We estimated the vegetable production of urban agriculture throughout the year. Two methods were developed to capture the production from professional and hobby farms: Method I utilized secondary governmental data on agricultural production from professional farms, and Method II was based on a supplementary spatial analysis to estimate the production from hobby farms. Next, the weight of produced vegetables [t] was converted into nutrients [kg]. Furthermore, the self-sufficiency by nutrient and time of year was estimated by incorporating the reference consumption of vegetables [kg], recommended dietary allowance of nutrients per capita [mg], and population statistics. The research was conducted in Nerima, the second most populous ward of Tokyo’s 23 special wards. Self-sufficiency rates were calculated with the registered residents. Results: The estimated total vegetable production of 5660 tons was equivalent to a weight-based self-sufficiency rate of 6.18%. The average nutritional self-sufficiencies of Methods I and II were 2.48% and 0.38%, respectively, resulting in an aggregated average of 2.86%. Fluctuations throughout the year were observed according to the harvest seasons of the available crops. Vitamin K (6.15%) had the highest self-sufficiency of selected nutrients, while calcium had the lowest (0.96%). Conclusions: This study suggests that depending on the time of year, urban agriculture has the potential to contribute nutrients to diets during post-disaster situations as disaster preparedness food. Emergency responses should be targeted according to the time of year the disaster takes place to meet nutrient requirements in periods of low self-sufficiency and prevent gastrointestinal symptoms and cardiovascular diseases among survivors.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Post-Disaster Food and Nutrition from Urban Agriculture: A Self-Sufficiency Analysis of Nerima Ward, Tokyo

Sioen

Sekiyama

Terada

et al. 2017

“…Out of the 34 multi-component interventions, 13 interventions included two Ps [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], 20 interventions included three Ps [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ], and one intervention included all four Ps [ 79 ]. All of the multi-component interventions included promotion.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Consumption and Purchases of Healthier Foods in Retail Environments: A Systematic Review

Karpyn

McCallops

Wolgast

et al. 2020

This review examines current research on manipulations of U.S. food retail environments to promote healthier food purchasing and consumption. Studies reviewed use marketing strategies defined as the 4Ps (product, price, placement, promotion) to examine results based on single- and multi-component interventions by study design, outcome, and which of the “Ps” was targeted. Nine electronic databases were searched for publications from 2010 to 2019, followed by forward and backward searches. Studies were included if the intervention was initiated by a researcher or retailer, conducted in-store, and manipulated the retail environment. Of the unique 596 studies initially identified, 64 studies met inclusion criteria. Findings show that 56 studies had at least one positive effect related to healthier food consumption or purchasing. Thirty studies used single-component interventions, while 34 were multi-component. Promotion was the most commonly utilized marketing strategy, while manipulating promotion, placement, and product was the most common for multi-component interventions. Only 14 of the 64 studies were experimental and included objective outcome data. Future research should emphasize rigorous designs and objective outcomes. Research is also needed to understand individual and additive effects of multi-component interventions on sales outcomes, substitution effects of healthy food purchases, and sustainability of impacts.

“…The Children’s Healthy Living program was possible due to earlier development of a region-wide coalition (Healthy Living in the Pacific Islands) over about 15 years of partnership [37] and from prior work (Healthy Pacific Child Project, including Healthy Foods Hawaii) which built partnership and experience to develop component activities [38]. In B’More Healthy Communities for Kids, a pilot trial of an urban farms to cornerstore program led to the decision to not involve these farms in the program [39]. The community engagement process in the case of B’More Healthy Communities for Kids was conducted through policy working groups, sequential workshops, and multiple trainings of community implementers (e.g., small store owners, youth leaders, etc.)…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Level, Multi-Component Approaches to Community Based Interventions for Healthy Living—A Three Case Comparison

Mikkelsen

Novotny

Gittelsohn

2016

Self Cite

There is increasing interest in integrated and coordinated programs that intervene in multiple community settings/institutions at the same time and involve policy and system changes. The purpose of the paper is to analyse three comparable cases of Multi Level, Multi Component intervention programs (ML-MC) from across the world in order to give recommendations for research, policy and practice in this field. Through the comparison of three cases: Health and Local Community (SoL-program), Children’s Healthy Living (CHL) and B’More Healthy Communities for Kids (BHCK), this paper examines the potential of ML-MC community-based public health nutrition interventions to create sustainable change. The paper proposes methodology, guidelines and directions for future research through analysis and examination strengths and weaknesses in the programs. Similarities are that they engage and commit local stakeholders in a structured approach to integrate intervention components in order to create dose and intensity. In that way, they all make provisions for post intervention impact sustainability. All programs target the child and family members’ knowledge, attitudes, behavior, the policy level, and the environmental level. The study illustrates the diversity in communities as well as diversity in terms of which and how sites and settings such as schools, kindergartens, community groups and grocery stores became involved in the programs. Programs are also different in terms of involvement of media stakeholders. The comparison of the three cases suggests that there is a need to build collaboration and partnerships from the beginning, plan for sufficient intensity/dose, emphasize/create consistency across levels and components of the intervention, build synchronization across levels, and plan for sustainability.