from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
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JAFSCD is the world's only community-supported journal. JAFSCD content is open access thanks to the generous support of our shareholders: the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium, Library Shareholders, a growing number of Individual Shareholders, and our seven JAFSCD Partners: |
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Food systems funders play a critical role in funding the alternative food movement, but little research has examined how they decide what to fund, and not fund. Journals like JAFCSD are often conceived of as reliable sources of evidence for informing practice, but the extent to which funders turn to academic research—or any other source of information—to shape their decisions is unclear.
In a new JAFSCD commentary, “Assessing food systems funders’ use of data and evidence to make funding decisions,” authors Hoey, Fink Shapiro, Diggs, Hilchey, Hines, and Masambuka-Kanchewa present initial findings from a survey of 19 food systems funders to delineate the extent to which their decision-making priorities are being shaped by academic journals, data, evaluation, community-based knowledge, and other sources of information.
KEY FINDINGS
Most respondents draw primarily on the ideas and feedback of local stakeholders and grantees to make funding decisions, and do not prioritize scientific knowledge or externally-derived evidence. Survey results show: -
The most common sources of information for deciding what to fund come from evidence provided by potential grantees in proposals and ideas gathered from stakeholders and current grantees.
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For most respondents, peer-reviewed academic journals, including JAFSCD, are one of the last places they currently turn to for information that could shape their funding priorities; over a third of respondents do not read research publications.
- Only 21% require their grantees or borrowers to conduct evaluations.
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Over a third of respondents did not believe that their organizations use data and evidence to make decisions as effectively as they would like them to.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
Our survey results raise more questions than answers and should be seen as a starting point for further conversation and research about what drives the decision-making processes of food systems funders. Future studies should strive for a larger sample size and include in-depth interviews of the food systems funding community, as well as organizations and stakeholders that rely on food system funding. Corresponding author Dr. Lesli Hoey can be contacted at lhoey@umich.edu
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To what extent do food systems funders turn to academic research to shape funding priorities? Read the JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.131.013
Image above courtesy of the commentary authors. |
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Food policy councils (FPCs) and similar groups are enhancing local food systems through initiatives, networking, and policy advocacy. Numerous resources, including reports, articles, and guides, offer different evaluation approaches for community food systems, covering data collection, metrics, and outcome measurement. However, a lack of standardized metrics for routine community food system monitoring remains, indicating a need for further development in this area.
In a new JAFSCD article, “Developing a food system indicators database to facilitate local food systems assessments: Using a scoping review approach,” Atoloye and the research team describe the process of establishing an accessible database of food system indicators. They aim to create a comprehensive collection of indicators that various groups can utilize to assess their local food systems, identify areas for enhancement, and gauge the effectiveness of their initiatives.
KEY FINDINGS
The researchers extracted a comprehensive collection of 384 indicators covering various facets of the food system from seven reports. These indicators encompass facets of the food system that include nutrition, agriculture, equity, health outcomes, environment, and economics. The process led to creating an open-access database and a how-to-use manual.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
The outputs can empower groups like FPCs to make informed changes, communicate effectively, and create opportunities for meaningful impact in their communities. This study contributes to crucial research on monitoring and evaluating food system attributes, standardizing indicators for cross-location and temporal tracking, and evaluating equity, justice, and fairness in the food system. Corresponding author Dr. Abiodun T. Atoloye (now at Utah State U) can be contacted at abiodun.atoloye@usu.edu SHARE ON SOCIALS
Improving local food systems is a team effort! Food policy councils & similar groups work on programs, connections, and policies. Let's explore better ways to measure their impact together! #CommunityFoodSystems #DataDrivenChange #FoodPolicy #LocalImpact Read the @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.131.008
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Exciting News for Local Food Systems Enthusiasts! Food policy councils and similar groups are on a mission to enhance community food systems. Let's dive into the world of data-driven change and explore how we can measure and boost their impact! #CommunityFoodSystems #DataDrivenChange #FoodPolicy #LocalImpact Read the JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.131.008
Photo above of winter squash piled up in columns © 2019 by Amy Christian. |
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JAFSCD's Wicked Problems in Food Systems workshop, "Achieving Circularity in Local and Regional Food Systems Development," was a big success!
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The first JAFSCD Wicked Problems in Food Systems workshop, “Achieving Circularity in Local and Regional Food Systems Development,” was held on November 16, 2023. Over 500 people worldwide registered to attend! The presentations were excellent and attendees were engaged — the chat was lively with questions and comments. |
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We are happy to share the following materials:
We extend our thanks to the workshop contributors: - Presenter: Felipe Cozim Melges — PhD Candidate, Farming Systems Ecology group, Wageningen University, Netherlands
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Presenter:
María Alonso Martínez — Junior Officer, Circular Development, ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, Germany
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Presenter: Michael Kotutwa
Johnson (Hopi) — Assistant Specialist, Indigenous Resiliency Center, University of Arizona, USA)
- Facilitator:
Jacob Park — Associate Professor, College of Business, Vermont State University (Castleton) University, USA; Visiting Professor of the Faculty of Business & Economics at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa; and co-chair of the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium
- Host:
Duncan Hilchey — JAFSCD Editor-in-Chief; duncan@lysoncenter.org
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The workshop was co-sponsored by JAFSCD's sister program, the North American Food Systems Network (NAFSN), which offers the Finding Your Future in Food Systems webinars and podcasts.
NAFSN is a professional association of people working together to strengthen local & regional food systems. |
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