Readings! Yay!

I am interested researching/working with programs in Lane County (and maybe elsewhere?) that seek to address food security issues, specifically among low-income and immigrant communities, through urban or peri-urban gardening (or small-scale farming) projects. I chose these articles in particular because they share a common theme of community empowerment through local/urban food production.

But...I'm not exactly sure how to frame or approach this problem (I'm not even sure into which disciplines I fit! Am I an anthropologist? A geographer? Other?) I'd love to hear what you all think about these readings and what questions they bring up for you. We can talk a bit about what I've learned about local food security/gardening efforts so that you all will have an idea of the needs that some community members have identified. I might send some more specific questions in a day or so, but for now I'd really just like to hear what you all have to say.

Thanks!!!

Halweil, Brian and Danielle Nierenberg. "Farming the Cities." Worldwatch Institute. State of the World: Our Urban Future. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007, pp. 48-65.

Halweil - Farming the Cities 2007.pdf

Levkoe, Charles Z. "Learning democracy through food justice movements." Agriculture and Human Values. 23: 89–98, 2006.

Levkoe 2006.pdf

Saldivar-Tanaka, Laura and Marianne E. Krasny. "Culturing community development, neighborhood open space, and civic agriculture: The case of Latino community gardens in New York City." Agriculture and Human Values. 21: 399–412, 2004.

Salvidar-Tanaka and Krasny 2004.pdf