Seeding Insights and Nourishing Change: a Case for Participatory Evaluation in Place-Based Community Food Systems

• Published in: International Journal of Community Well-Being 2023-06, Vol.6 (2), p.151-167
• Main Authors: Banks, Alyssa, Saito, Rebecca, Berneche, Nadja, Krocak, Jennifer, Porta, Carolyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case Article; cities; Quality of Life Research; Social Sciences; towns; Urban Geography; Urbanism (inc. megacities
• ISSN: 2524-5295; 2524-5309
• DOI: 10.1007/s42413-020-00097-0

In the United States, achieving equitable food security requires innovative system-level solutions that address complex intersecting factors. Food insecurity is intricately connected to poverty and access to food, and has short- and long-term impacts on individual health, quality of life, and healthcare costs. Fostering food security demands innovation: new collaborations, approaches, and fresh measurement models that can address food insecurity at a systems level. Through a sophisticated place-based approach, Full Lives is a complex but promising food security community impact grantmaking strategy that leverages the resources of different partners, organizations, and components of the food supply within a concentrated geographical area. Furthermore, transformation of a community’s food system requires a combination of technical knowledge and authentic community engagement in order to effectively yield and measure community change. This case study provides an in-depth look at: How grant makers can work in partnership with a diverse set of non-profit organizations in developing solutions; Co-creation of a community engaged food security program evaluation characterized by shared measurement of community-level indicators; Strengths, challenges and limitations of a community-engaged approach to food security program evaluation.