from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
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JAFSCD peer-reviewed article by Darcy Freedman, Linea Webb, Owusua Yamoah, and Emily Nelson (Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine), Morgan Taggart (FARE | Food Access Raises Everyone), Michael Walton (Catalytic Change Link), Ismail Samad (Loiter East Cleveland), Don Gaddis (NorthStar CLE), Carol White (Nourishing Power Network Advisory Council), Shirley Bell Wheeler (Rev Love Farm), and Dawn Glasco (Nourishing Power Network Advisory Council)
Current measures used to assess urban food systems, such as food security and healthy food access, focus primarily on outcomes rather than the actions needed to achieve those outcomes. These measures do not provide a clear roadmap for communities aiming to transform local food systems to achieve nutrition equity.
In a new JAFSCD research brief, Realizing nutrition equity in urban food systems: Insights from food justice leaders about mechanisms of implementation, initial findings are shared from a community action research project focused on systems transformation in urban food systems. The article is written by Darcy Freedman, Morgan Taggart, Michael Walton, Linea Webb, Ismail Samad, Don Gaddis, Carol White, Shirley Bell Wheeler, Dawn Glasco, Owusua Yamoah, and Emily Nelson.
The research brief summarizes implementation mechanisms—essentially, the series of interconnected actions—to accelerate community-led urban food systems transformation efforts aimed at advancing freedom, agency, and dignity in food traditions that promote holistic health. By examining the perceptions of 18 BIPOC community leaders in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the study uncovered practical strategies that can guide future action planning, decision-making, and accountability within urban food systems. Corresponding author Darcy Freedman can be contacted at daf96@case.edu.
KEY FINDINGS
Findings provide insights into the series of interconnected actions involved in advancing freedom, agency, and dignity in food traditions resulting in holistic health within urban communities.
Ten implementation mechanisms and related indicators were identified to guide community-led food justice initiatives seeking to advance nutrition equity. -
Results underscore the importance of implementation mechanisms that influence changes in community power, food culture and norms, and healthy food retail while mitigating the risks of gentrification.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH For practitioners: - Findings provide a clearer understanding of the complex dynamics within urban food systems by highlighting the key steps involved in making lasting changes to achieve nutrition equity.
- Communities and funders can use these insights to guide and invest in efforts focused on building strategic relationships, strengthening community capacity, securing necessary resources for implementation, evaluating progress, and advocating for policy changes that support community-driven urban food systems.
For researchers: - Future research should integrate these implementation indicators with existing assessment tools to avoid redundancy and reach a consensus on the most practical and relevant measures for real-world application.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS:
What if we could see the steps needed to transform urban food systems for better health and equity? New research shines a light on the interconnected actions that can advance freedom, agency, and dignity in food traditions — leading to holistic health in urban communities. Read the full @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.144.008
#NourishNow #UrbanFoodSystems #CommunityAction |
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Photo above: Grassroots and institutional partners in Cleveland, Ohio, networking to accelerate nutrition equity locally. Photo by Visionary Media. |
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Excerpt from the review: "In Dodge County, Incorporated, Sonja Trom Eayrs offers a compelling and deeply personal account of her rural Minnesota community’s transformation under the weight of industrial agriculture. Her narrative arrives at a critical moment in national discourse, as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and the corporatization of agriculture increasingly draw scrutiny. As both an attorney and environmental advocate, Eayrs documents the environmental degradation, public health crises, and erosion of democratic processes that have accompanied the rise of corporate agriculture in Dodge County. Her work is especially relevant to readers of this journal, as it weaves together themes of agricultural practice, food systems, and community development.
"Through vivid storytelling and rigorous analysis, Eayrs humanizes the broader structural issues facing rural America. She skillfully integrates environmental, health, economic, and political perspectives to present a holistic view of the challenges confronting rural communities. Her call for civic engagement and policy reform is both urgent and inspiring, urging readers to take action to protect and revitalize rural life." Read the entire book review (and others!) for free @JAFSCD: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.144.018
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Books available for review
Like to review a book and share your thoughts with JAFSCD’s readers? Fill out the quick review query form linked on our home page (right margin, Engage with JAFSCD > Propose a Book Review). You can also use the form to suggest other books, films, or reports for review. The selected reviewer receives a free hard copy or e-book!
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Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons, by Kevin Morgan
From the publisher:
"A revealing account of what we feed our citizens in schools, hospitals and prisons. Access to good food is the litmus test of a society's commitment to social justice and sustainable development. This book explores the 'good food revolution' in public institutions, asking what broader lessons can be learned. Drawing on evidence from the UK, US and Sweden, Serving the Public highlights how public institutions are harnessing the power of purchase to secure public health, social justice and ecological integrity."
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Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Diets, edited by Kathleen May Kevany and Paolo Prosperi
From the publisher:
"Sustainable diets seek to minimize and mitigate the significant negative impact food production has on the environment. Simultaneously they aim to address worrying health trends in food consumption through the promotion of healthy diets. . . . Within the Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Diets, creative, compassionate, critical, and collaborative solutions are called for across nations, across disciplines and sectors. . . . The handbook concludes with a call to action, which provides readers with a comprehensive map of strategies that could dramatically increase sustainability and help to reverse global warming, diet related non-communicable diseases, and oppression and racism."
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How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food, by Vaclav Smil
From the publisher:
"In this ambitious, myth-busting book, Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: why are some of the world’s biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why do we waste so much food and how can we solve that? Could the whole planet go vegan and be healthy? Should it? He explores the global history of food production to understand why we farm some animals and not others, why most of the world’s calories come from just a few foodstuffs, and how this might change in the future."
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Explore KPU’s SFSS program |
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