Alison H. Harmon

Teaching Food System Sustainability in Dietetic Programs: Need, Conceptualization, and Practical Approaches

Contemporary globalized food systems add new dimensions to the conceptualization of “healthy” food. The need to address biophysical, social, and environmental aspects of food systems is internationally recognized. In a survey of 265 dietetics programs, 68% of 145 educators were interested in sustainability education techniques yet felt inadequately prepared. We report on survey results and provide strategies for sustainability education (1) conceptually, as sustainable food system action goals; and (2) pedagogically, as didactic approaches to teaching that promote the sustainability goals, examples of teaching methods, and a selected reference list on sustainable food issues linked with the goals.

University Engagement Through Local Food Enterprise: Community-Supported Agriculture on Campus

Community-supported agriculture programs (CSAs) are growing in number and variety across the country. Though CSAs can be found in a variety of settings, a less common but potentially successful venue in which to run a CSA is the university campus. Although universities present certain challenges for operating a CSA, they offer a number of unique advantages that can aid in the growth and success of the campus CSA. As such, university-based food and nutrition professionals may find that CSA development is a viable avenue through which to accomplish nutrition goals, such as increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. In this article, the authors review both the benefits and detriments of operating a CSA on a university campus and present 2 different but successful university CSA models.

Buying into Community Supported Agriculture: Strategies for Overcoming Income Barriers

ABSTRACT Community-supported agriculture provides benefits to members, including improved nutrition, economic savings, increased food security, and knowledge about the source of ones food. Unfortunately, membership may seem out of reach for limited-resource consumers because a lump sum membership fee is generally required at the beginning of the season. This article examines the strategies being used by CSA farms to help potential limited-resource members overcome income barriers. Those strategies include acceptance of government food assistance, payment plans, working shares, subsidized low-income shares, low-cost shares, transportation assistance, bartering, outreach efforts, and connections to emergency food assistance.

A Survey of Food System Knowledge, Attitudes, and Experiences Among High School Students

ABSTRACT Students were surveyed to assess food system knowledge, attitudes, and experiences. Participants are least knowledgeable about food system sectors, sustainability, and agriculture; more knowledgeable about nutrition and food origins; and most knowledgeable about food safety, local foods, and hunger. The majority of participants support both farmland protection and new land development. Student attitudes favor local food systems, but attitudes are not supported by behavioral intentions. Food system knowledge and attitudes supportive of sustaining the local food system are positively associated with participation in youth clubs, gardening, and food related activities at home. Knowledge is negatively associated with television viewing.

Organic Agriculture Supports Biodiversity and Sustainable Food Production

Biodiversity is vital to several important ecosystem services that ensure sustainability of food production. In organic agriculture, land management practices that promote biodiversity and soil quality are emphasized and the goal is to maintain a sustainable agricultural system. Soil quality or soil health is the foundation for all agriculture and natural plant communities and a primary indicator of sustainable land management. Soil quality is affected by farm management and land use decisions. This article presents a review of the literature on the question: How do organic agriculture and conventional agriculture differ in regard to their impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services? All of the 22 articles identified in this review reported a significant increase in at least one variable that indicated enhanced biodiversity and/or ecosystem services on sites farmed using an organic farming system compared to sites farmed using a conventional farming system. This review underlines the importance of biodiversity, particularly soil biodiversity, to sustainable food production and underscores the need for further ecological studies on the links between farm management systems and soil quality.

Improving nutrition education newsletters for the food stamp eligible audience.

The purpose of this study was to identify the types of nutrition newsletter content that reading clientele perceive as relevant to them in making healthy food choices consistent with sound dietary advice, and to identify ways newsletter design and wording affect the usefulness of the content. The authors conducted five focus groups with readers of nutrition education newsletters in three different regions of Pennsylvania between January and April 2003. All participants were obtaining food from their community food pantry, where newsletters are distributed by the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Program. Major nutrition and health concerns of participants included heart disease, diabetes, dietary fat, and sodium intake. Recipes are the most highly valued portion of the newsletters. To summarize, newsletter readers indicate that effectiveness in facilitating food and nutrition behavior change is a function of the relevance, design, and practicality of the content.

National Chain Restaurant Practices Supporting Food Sustainability

Although sustainable food practices are becoming popular among consumers, there is little known about restaurants’ practices, such as sourcing local or organic products. The goal of this study was to examine published information about sustainable practices in chain restaurants in 2008 and 2011. Restaurant websites were inspected in 2008 and 2011–2012 for information supporting sustainable food practices. Sustainability ratings were categorized as no practice, planned practice, or practice. In 2008, there were few reported practices; however, in 2011 there was a proliferation. This research demonstrates the increasing popularity of sustainable food practices and the potential to reach a broader audience.

Considerations for Exploring Livestock as a Nutrition Intervention in the Rural United States

Residents of rural communities in the United States typically have poor access to high-quality protein. Internationally, livestock nutrition intervention programs have been successful at increasing access to high-quality dietary protein in rural areas; however, these programs have not been largely explored in the rural United States. Given its lack of support facilities, availability of land, lack of zoning restrictions, and economic struggles, the rural United States is an ideal setting to pursue a livestock nutrition intervention project. What, then, would it take to establish an intervention? A number of community and livestock-related considerations need to be addressed in preparation for a livestock nutrition intervention in a rural community in the United States. Four examples of livestock are discussed.