Open AccessFraming Food Access: Do Community Gardens Inadvertently Reproduce Inequality?
Author(s) -
Katie L. Butterfield,
A. Susana Ramírez
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
health education and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1552-6127
pISSN - 1090-1981
DOI - 10.1177/1090198120950617
Subject(s) - framing (construction) , food security , food systems , health equity , empowerment , urban agriculture , middle class , citizen journalism , sociology , economic growth , political science , geography , agriculture , economics , health care , archaeology , law
Alternative food programs have been proposed as solutions to food insecurity and diet-related health issues. However, some of the most popular programs-farmers markets and community-supported agriculture-overwhelmingly serve White and upper-middle-class individuals, exacerbating food security and health disparities. One explanation for the mismatch is the way in which alternative food programs are framed: Language used to encourage participation may reflect priorities of upper-middle-class and White populations who create and run these programs while lacking resonance with food-insecure populations. This literature, however, lacks consideration of how lower-cost, more participatory programs-community gardens-are framed. We therefore explore the framing of community gardens through a quantitative content analysis of the descriptions, missions, and goals provided by community garden managers across Minnesota ( N = 411).