Although Flint, Michigan has been challenged more than most communities, a new sense of hope, purpose and possibility is recently visible. One expression of this energy is the Flint Urban Gardening and Land Use Committee. Established in 1998, the Flint Urban Garden and Land Use Committee is an ad-hoc group of community leaders and people from non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations, block clubs, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University Cooperative Extension, and the Genesee County Health Department. Their mission is to provide assistance to groups who are interested in or involved in beautification initiatives and to promote gardening and other land-use projects in Flint and Genesee County. Community gardens, as green spaces, meeting places, and food and flower production systems, have the potential to revitalize distressed neighborhoods and communities. Documentation of these benefits can be used to: improve existing gardens, promote the initiation of new gardens, and secure foundation and city support for gardens and other beautification projects. This presentation describes the process of initiating a community-based participatory research (CBPR) study of the benefits of urban community gardens with the Flint Urban Garden and Land Use Committee.
Learning Objectives: Participants will understand the rewards of community-based participatory research (CBPR), learn how to initiate a research project with a community-based organization, identify challenges they may face in the process, and will be able to apply lessons learned from an existing CBPR project studying urban community gardens.
Keywords: Community Participation, Food Security
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.