IN THIS ISSUE Food systems and community well-being

Abstract

First paragraphs:

The summer 2026 issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development presents a diverse collection of scholarship and commentary spanning food security, food safety, entrepreneurship, markets, governance, resilience, climate adaptation, Indigenous food sovereignty, and community develop­ment. Together, these contributions illustrate both the complexity of contemporary food systems, and the wide range of approaches researchers and practitioners are advancing to address persistent social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Our cover features the proposed Swineford Road Agrihood outside Richmond, Virginia, U.S., an ambitious collaboration among affordable housing, food justice, and community development organizations seeking to create a neighborhood centered on affordable homes, urban agriculture, and shared community space. As the project moved through the zoning process, however, it encountered repeated delays, shifting requirements, and growing conflict with local officials, leading project leaders to argue that the proposal had become entangled in broader questions of race, exclusionary land-use practices, and community self-determination. The case illustrates how efforts to integrate housing, farming, and social infrastructure into a single community vision can expose deeper tensions surrounding equity, governance, and the future of local development. (Planview image was provided by Duron Chavis.)