from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
|
|
JAFSCD is the world’s only community-supported journal. JAFSCD content is open access (free) thanks to the generous support of our shareholders: the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium, Library Shareholders, a growing number of Individual Shareholders, and our six JAFSCD Partners: |
|
|
JAFSCD SPECIAL SECTION OF PAPERS |
|
|
JAFSCD is publishing a special set of papers in response to the call for papers on community-based circular food systems (C-B CFSs): local and regional food systems that emphasize a community’s health and well-being while minimizing waste and protecting shared natural resources. Over the next few weeks, JAFSCD News Flashes share the published articles; see the latest one below!
|
|
|
JAFSCD peer-reviewed article by Taylor Baisey (UC Berkeley; now at UC San Francisco), Kristida Chhour (UC Berkeley), Isabel Cabrera (UC Berkeley), and Jennifer Sowerwine (UC Berkeley)
Nearly one-third of the entire United States food supply is sent to landfills. As food decomposes, it emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that fuels global warming. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a more circular food system, states across the country are mandating that food waste be diverted from landfills through several mechanisms, including composting. Yet evaluations of the impacts of such policies on communities are lacking.
In a new JAFSCD article, Community-based compost distribution program's role in organic waste diversion and the circular food system, authors Taylor Baisey, Kristida Chhour, Isabel Cabrera, and Jennifer Sowerine present findings from a qualitative case study of a community-based compost distribution program in northern California. The study aimed to assess the program’s initial successes, challenges, and contributions to California’s SB-1383 organic waste procurement requirements and the circular food system. The article is included in the special section of articles on community-based circular food systems in the current issue of JAFSCD. Corresponding author Taylor Baisey can be contacted at taylor.baisey@ucsf.edu.
KEY FINDINGS
The compost distribution program, which was co-located at an urban community farm, was a low-maintenance, high-impact strategy for municipalities to provide free compost to the public, support a community organization, and meet organic waste procurement requirements.
Visitors wanted to learn about the compost, how to use it, and the program itself. However, the program did not provide community education due to insufficient public funding. The compost was made of 100% green waste (i.e., yard trimmings) rather than municipal food waste. Therefore, it did not close the loop in the circular food system, although it did contribute to the circular economy more broadly.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
Coupling compost distribution programs with public investments in educational programming about gardening, compost use, and at-home food waste sorting could contribute to a more robust circular food system. Studies of the impacts of such education on the circular food system would also guide educational programming development and implementation.
Furthermore, to close the loop in the circular food system, SB-1383 could require that compost facilities source feedstock from municipal food waste. The authors recommend that their study be replicated across multiple program sites that use municipal food waste compost to provide more generalizable findings and valuable insights into how such programs contribute to closing the circular food system loop. Additionally, community-based programs could consider composting residential food waste on-site, which now counts towards SB-1383 procurement requirements.
Lastly, study participants were majority white, female-identifying, and highly educated. Therefore, research on the socioeconomic, health, and environmental justice impacts of compost distribution programs is needed.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
California requires that municipalities collect, process, and redistribute organic waste as final products, like compost—but how does this impact communities and the circular food system? A new study found that a community-based compost distribution program contributed to state-mandated organic waste diversion requirements and the circular economy but experienced challenges along the way. #compost #circularfoodsystems #communitycomposting #composthub #foodwaste @UCBerkeley Read the full @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.011
|
|
|
Photo above: The compost pile at the Albany (California) Compost Distribution Hub in the summer of 2023. Photo credit: City of Albany, CA; provided by the authors. |
|
|
JOB OPPORTUNITY IN VALUE CHAIN COORDINATION! |
|
|
The Food Connection at the University of Kentucky (TFC) is seeking a Post Doctoral Scholar to conduct applied research on value chain coordination (VCC) in local and regional food systems.
This is a unique and high-impact postdoctoral researcher position, created in partnership with TFC, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Local and Regional Foods Division (LRFD), and the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD). The postdoctoral researcher will lead a novel multi-institution research initiative that results in scholarly publications, stakeholder-facing technical assistance resources, and policy recommendations at local, regional, and national scales. Hybrid remote/on-site (Lexington, KY) applicants are welcome!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO APPLY | |
|
| JAFSCD Seeks Associate Editor for Book Reviews
We are seeking a volunteer associate editor for book reviews to select books, promote the opportunity and solicit book reviewers, and provide feedback to review authors. This person would join our current dedicated volunteer, Matthew Hoffman, to share the work. If you have a few hours a month you can share with JAFSCD, please contact managing editor Amy Christian to learn more!
|
|
|
Photo: Books at Albert A. Mann Library, Cornell University, that are part of the Thomas A. Lyson and Duncan L. Hilchey Acquisitions Fund, founded in celebration of the graduation of Marc Johnson '01, GR '04. |
|
|
JAFSCD SISTER PROGRAM NEWS |
The Finding Your Future in Food Systems webinar series provides participants with connections and insights to help them identify next steps for their careers. Speakers for the April 23 session: - Hakeem Holmes, NCAT
- Zainab Pixler, Cleveland Department of Public Health
- Tiffany Bellfield El-Amin, Kentucky Black Farmers Association
Register now for free!
And see more upcoming NAFSN events — like the NAFSN Book Club (April 26) and CARAT Information Session (April 28)
|
|
|
This email is sent to you as a notification of the newest JAFSCD articles and other occasional JAFSCD news. |
|
JAFSCD is an open access, community-supported journal! Your library, program, or organization can become a shareholder to help keep JAFSCD's content available to all, regardless of their resources. We welcome anyone to become an individual shareholder; donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
|
|
| |
