Cultivating Collective Resilience: An Urban Agroecology Farm’s Role for Supporting Social-Ecological Well-being in East San José, California.
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Current ways of food production, distribution, and consumption contribute to biodiversity loss, climate change, chronic health diseases, and food injustices. Alternative food system paradigms, like agroecology, may tackle these issues. The purpose of this research is to examine how an urban agroecology farm (called Veggielution) contributes to social-ecological well-being in East San José, an area with a predominantly Hispanic/ Latinx population. It explores how these benefits are maintained, and how insights from this case study could inform more just, healthy, and sustainable food systems.This thesis is based on a case study based on qualitative research methods (17 semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis) and it draws on literature around urban agroecology and social–ecological systems/ resilience, investigating how agroecological practices may support food systems resilience. Findings show that Veggielution supports individual, community, and ecosystem resilience. It contributes to human well-being through creating a sense of community and connection, as well as sharing food, resources and information. Agroecological practices, which support biodiversity and nutrient cycling, maintain ecosystem health. I provide evidence that by drawing on these strengths, the farm supported well-being amidst challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. Land stewardship, biocultural diversity, and collective knowledge and learning maintain social-ecological relationships that create a resilient social-ecological system. I conclude that urban agroecology’s principles (based on close social and ecological relations, justice, and community) contribute significantly to social-ecological well-being. Ultimately, supporting community-based urban farms and gardens to overcome current limitations like limited economic support, labor, and land access, will help build more resilient food systems.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Publication date | May 22, 2024 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Obernoster, Anna |
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5562-772X
(unverified)
|
|---|
Subjects
| Subject | Agricultural ecology |
|---|---|
| Subject | Food sovereignty |
| Subject | Food Justice |
| Subject | Urban agriculture |
| Subject | Social-Ecological Systems |
| Subject | Biocultural Diversity |
| Genre | Text |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND).
Preferred citation
- Preferred citation
- Obernoster, A. (2023). Cultivating Collective Resilience: An Urban Agroecology Farm’s Role for Supporting Social-Ecological Well-being in East San José, California.. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/hg483bk3907. https://doi.org/10.25740/hg483bk3907.
Collection
Stanford University, Center for Latin American Studies, Masters Degree Thesis
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- Contact
- aobernoster@gmail.com
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