Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development

Planning for the “new normal”: Farmworker support organizations’ experiences of climate change impacts and adaptation

Karie L. Boone — 2026-10-01

Farmworker support organizations (SOs) in central Washington state are experiencing climate change–related impacts. To understand the challenges these organizations are facing, how they observe tree-fruit farmworkers navigating these impacts, and what gaps exist in farmworker support, we carried out a multimethod qualitative case study, interviewing 24 staff from community health clinics and centers, community-based organizations, and research and training organizations. The analysis found that SOs are providing essential support related to climate change, and that need for these services in increasing. Several factors converge to make it challenging for SOs to effectively contribute to long-term, sustainable solutions: limited capacity, staff burnout and, in some cases, the fact that staff do not make the connection between increasing heat and smoke events and climate change. We propose that three principles could strengthen efforts to agree upon and implement long-term climate resilience strategies for the benefit of farmworkers’ health and safety and the sustainability of tree-fruit production: (1) addressing the systemic inequalities that contribute to farmworkers’ vulnerability, rather than focusing narrowly on individual preparedness and reducing exposure; (2) bringing together diverse players to propose solutions for protecting workers within the context of farm economic viability, so as to reduce the potential for unintended consequences to the tree-fruit production system; and (3) incorporating adaptive strategies that attend to how climate change impacts people differently, unevenly, and disproportionately.

Women as catalysts of rural transformation

Rika Reviza Rachmawati — 2026-09-30

Women play a crucial role in rural transformation in developing countries, but they face significant socio-economic, cultural, and structural barriers that hinder their full participation. Despite their contributions to agriculture and rural development, systemic inequities in access to resources, education, and decision making limit their potential as agents of change. Our research aims to analyze the challenges women face in rural transformation, identify opportunities for their empowerment, and propose actionable policy recommendations for gender-inclusive rural development. A systematic literature review was conducted using the Scopus and Web of Science databases, focusing on peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025. Using the PRISMA framework, 166 studies were selected from 499 studies across South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America. These major developing regions have rural populations reliant on agriculture, in which women play crucial roles but face gender barriers. Women face obstacles such as limited access to land, technology, credit, and markets, hindering their full contribution to sustainable food systems. Enabling factors such as capacity building, digital literacy, cooperative farming, and gender-transformative policies enhance women’s agency in food production. Empowering women through training, inclusive financing, and land rights improves productivity, food security, and sustainability. The findings highlight the need for inclusive rural policies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and gender-sensitive infrastructure to support women in agriculture. Integrating women into rural and food strategies is key to long-term sustainability. Future research should evaluate the impact and scalability of gender-inclusive policies in diverse rural contexts.

Navigating the nexus of food, energy, and ecology

Tanja J. Strobel-Unbehaun — 2026-09-30

Increasing competition for land among food and feed production, renewable energy, settlement expansion, and ecological restoration creates a pressing policy challenge in many regions. Diets, farming practices, and food loss and waste jointly shape land demand and greenhouse gas emissions, while decisions on bioenergy versus wind and photovoltaic deployment affect both land availability and climate outcomes. Yet existing foodshed frameworks rarely integrate energy system alternatives and carbon sequestration potentials into a single scenario-based assessment. This study addresses that gap by extending the Metropolitan Foodshed and Self-sufficiency Scenario (MFSS) framework to quantify trade-offs across the food-energy-ecology nexus. The MFSS’s primary contribution lies in embedding renewable energy land-use modeling, greenhouse gas accounting, and carbon sequestration estimation into a single comparative scenario framework, moving beyond self-sufficiency assessment toward integrated analysis.

We apply this extended MFSS framework to the governmental district of Lower Franconia (Bavaria, Germany). Building on region-specific yield data and consumption patterns, we quantify per-capita and aggregate land footprints, theoretical self-sufficiency rates, and surplus land available after meeting a 100% regional food supply threshold. Beyond prior MFSS applications, we allocate remaining land to renewable energy production (bioenergy crops, photovoltaic, wind) and carbon sequestration via conversion to potential natural vegetation, while estimating greenhouse gas emissions across diets and farming systems.

Across 24 scenarios combining four dietary patterns (baseline omnivorous, flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan), two production systems (conventional, organic), and food loss and waste assumptions, dietary shifts and waste reduction strongly reduce land footprints and expand surplus land for renewable energy and ecological restoration. Organic scenarios require more land due to lower yields but exhibit lower management-related emissions per hectare. Bioenergy crops cannot meet regional primary energy needs with available land, whereas wind and photovoltaic can satisfy regional energy demand while preserving substantial areas for carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

The framework offers governance-relevant opportunities for municipalities and food system actors seeking integrated, place-based land-use strategies that align food self-sufficiency, energy transitions, and climate performance.

A food policy council primer: How food policy councils can be a catalyst for change

Wendy Nevett Bazil — 2026-09-27

First paragraph:

Although food policy councils are not always well understood or appreciated, they can be pivotal tools to improve local and regional food systems. Strengthening local food systems is critical right now, when so many issues can interrupt broader food supply chains and, in the U.S., national support for important systemic issues is in jeopardy. Nessa J. Richman’s Food Policy Councils: Building Civic Engagement and Community Well-Being is a timely and necessary primer for food systems participants about the creation and running of a food policy council (FPC), and for existing FPCs on how to be more equitable, effective, and even more ambitious in their work transforming local food systems. . . .

Student voices: A mixed-method approach to understanding the quality of life of students living with food access barriers

Lana Petrie — 2026-09-27

Grounded in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this mixed-methods study examined how food access influences the quality of life (QoL) among college agriculture students. Because food is a fundamental physiological need, inadequate access can impede students’ physical, psychological, and social well-being, as well as their academic success. This study aimed to identify barriers to food access and determine the factors most strongly associated with students’ QoL.

A concurrent and sequential mixed-methods design was utilized. Phase 1 consisted of a cross-sectional online survey distributed to 3,336 undergraduate students, resulting in 809 responses (24% response rate). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a statistically significant model (p = .017) explaining 27.7% of the variance in QoL. Significant predictors included food access, first-generation status, senior classification, and Asian ethnicity. Phase 2 consisted of 19 semi-structured interviews that explored the lived experiences underlying the survey findings. Thematic analysis identified nine key themes: barriers to food access, unawareness of resources, financial strain, lack of meal plan funds, limited food options, and the effects of food insecurity on physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships, and academic performance.

Students reported that demanding schedules, transportation challenges, and limited institutional support constrained their ability to access nutritious food. The results highlight food access as a central determinant of students’ QoL and educational persistence. Institutions should enhance awareness of available resources, provide financial and meal plan assistance, and ensure inclusive dining options to promote student well-being and academic success.

Toward resilient agrifood institutions

Afrizal Malik — 2026-09-24

Building resilient horticultural systems is critical in the face of climate variability, market instability, and institutional fragmentation. In Indonesia, farmer corporations have emerged as institutional arrangements intended to strengthen coordination among smallholder farmers and improve agribusiness development. However, limited attention has been given to how farmer corporations operate within the horticultural value chain and contribute to local resilience. This study examines the role of farmer corporations in strengthening the shallot value chain in Majalengka Regency, West Java, Indonesia. This analysis focused on institutional coordination, governance mechanisms, and development priorities within the shallot value chain. The evidence shows that farmer corporations can strengthen resilience by enhancing institutional coordination, collective bargaining, market access, production support, and adaptive capacity in the face of climate and market uncertainty. Institutional integration among farmer groups, farmer group associations, cooperatives, government agencies, and private-sector actors was found to be important for strengthening shallot agribusiness governance and promoting long-term horticultural development. This study contributes to the literature by positioning farmer corporations as farmer-based institutional integration mechanisms, rather than conventional investor-driven corporations. Our results emphasize the need for institutional governance customized to local conditions and collaborative value chain coordination in developing resilient horticultural systems in Indonesia and other agribusiness settings.

Regional food system resilience and rural realities

Lia R. Kelinsky-Jones — 2026-09-24

Food system resilience is increasingly recognized as essential for sustaining food security amid shocks and disruptors such as extreme weather and climate change. Yet resilience planning is often limited in rural regions, where vulnerabilities may be higher and institutional capacity is constrained. This study examines how local governments and regional planning entities engage with food systems resilience across the 13-state Appalachian region. Appalachia provides a valuable case due to its high proportion of rural communities, elevated rates of food insecurity, and documented vulnerability to climate-related disruptions. At the same time, the region’s strong agricultural assets make it well-suited to examine actions related to food systems resilience efforts. While resilience scholarship emphasizes the importance of locally rooted and self-organized food systems, regional approaches are often proposed as a means of connecting these localized efforts to enhance coordination across food systems and increase diversity, redundancy, and interconnectivity. Drawing on 32 group interviews with 113 public officials representing 167 counties, we apply Keegan et al.’s (2024) regional food system resilience concepts as a conceptual framework to analyze regional governance–oriented food system resilience actions. Our findings show that governmental actors primarily engage in facilitative roles, advancing food system efforts through food access initiatives, participation in networks, and support for local and regional supply chains. These efforts often build on locally embedded activities but remain unevenly coordinated across jurisdictions. We also find that local governments rely on nonprofit partnerships to advance food access initiatives in both routine times and in anticipation of or following an acute shock, while explicit attention to longer-term shocks, like climate change, remains limited. Despite evidence that locally organized efforts contribute to resilience, we find limited mechanisms for integrating these efforts at broader regional scales, underscoring gaps in multilevel governance. These findings suggest the need for future research on governance models that support coordination across jurisdictions, as well as practical efforts to strengthen planning capacity, integrate food systems into formal policy processes, and align short-term interventions with longer-term resilience planning.

Association between nutrition assistance programs and household produce waste during the COVID-19 pandemic

Akiko S. Hosler — 2026-09-22

Fresh produce is the most wasted food, accounting for about 45% of household food waste in the United States. The literature is inconclusive about whether nutrition assistance programs aimed at increasing access to healthy food affect household food waste, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the association between participation in nutrition assistance programs (food pantries and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) and changes in household produce waste since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that more fresh produce was distributed to food pantries during the pandemic, we examined whether the perceived quality of fresh produce at food pantries may influence household food waste behavior. We conducted an online survey for adults residing in the Capital Region of New York state from October to December 2021. Among 504 respondents, 27% reported throwing away less produce than usual since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 22% used food pantries, and about half perceived the quality of fresh produce at those pantries as poor. Approximately one-third of respondents were SNAP participants, including the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT). We found that food pantry users who rated produce quality as acceptable had 2.4 times the odds of wasting less produce since the COVID-19 pandemic began compared to non-users of food pantries. Similarly, SNAP/P-EBT users were more likely to report less household produce waste compared to non-SNAP/P-EBT users. Our findings highlight that participation in food assistance programs may help reduce household food waste and underscore the importance of maintaining fresh produce quality at a level clients perceive as acceptable. We suggest greater collaboration among public health nutrition, food waste research, and food systems stakeholders to work toward the common goals of efficiently distributing healthy food, reducing food waste, and eliminating hunger.

Indigenous vegetables and household food security in a borderland community

Agus Fitriangga — 2026-09-20

Indigenous vegetables play a critical yet underdocumented role in household food security among borderland communities in Borneo. This study examines how Dayak Bidayuh households in Entikong, Indonesia, integrate wild and cultivated plant foods into daily diets, cultural practices, and adaptive livelihood strategies within a rapidly modernizing Indonesia–Malaysia border economy. These transformations have been accentuated by recent disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of commercial agriculture, and the proliferation of fast food and processed goods, which increasingly alter traditional foraging, cooking, and eating habits among younger generations.

Using a multi-site qualitative design supported by household interviews, participant observation, ambulatory foraging walks, and nutritional analysis, data were collected from 30 respondents across five villages reflecting varying degrees of market exposure and ecological access, as well as variation in gender related to age, occupation, or professional roles that spoke to food heritage and production.

Findings reveal five interrelated dynamics: hybrid subsistence and cash-based dependency, dietary transitions linked to Malaysian border markets, persistent cultural significance of indigenous dishes, erosion of ecological knowledge across generations, and gendered constraints in food provisioning. Despite increasing reliance on commercial foods, dishes such as sayur rampai, ayam pansuh, and pekasam remain essential to cultural identity, ecological memory, and social cohesion. The resulting Bidayuh Food Heritage and Food System Model highlights how access to land, knowledge transmission, ritual identity, and market dynamics collectively shape food security outcomes. Strengthening indigenous vegetables and cultural foodways offers a pathway for enhancing dietary diversity, cultural resilience, and locally grounded food sovereignty in borderland contexts.

Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a food-related health risk problem in informal food environments

Richard A. Nyiawung — 2026-09-20

Introduction

Sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) food systems have been transformed by science-driven gains in productivity and market access, yet a health crisis is intensifying within its vast informal food environments. Agricultural research and technology investments have strengthened smallholder systems (Shilomboleni & De Plaen, 2019) and expanded food availability (Clark & Hobbs, 2023), while rising socioeconomic conditions escalate nutritional demands (Blekking et al., 2022; Djurfeldt, 2015) and propel calls for dietary diversity (Paulo et al., 2024; Usman & Haile, 2022). However, these advances are harshly undermined by the burden of foodborne diseases. An estimated 91 million people in Africa fall ill annually from food-related illnesses, generating over US$15 billion in medical costs and 137,000 deaths (Nigussie et al., 2025; World Health Organization [WHO] Africa, 2019), with downstream economic losses in tourism (Chen et al., 2021). Agrochemical residues, poor hygiene, and weak legislative enforcement in Africa’s largely informal food sectors drive this burden.

Here, we synthesize health threats in informal food environments and call for an urgent agenda to protect public health across SSA. This viewpoint provides a snapshot of health-risk exposures across the three dominant value chains: fruits and vegetables, livestock, and aquatic foods. It emphasizes that while food availability, affordability and accessibility reduce food insecurity, they mask uncontrolled hazards. Addressing this demands research to characterize risks, quantify health and economic burdens, and develop context-specific interventions. Integrated science-policy action must follow to safeguard populations relying on these environments.