Yield models and BER models treated weekly harvests as repeated measures, adding random effects of plot within block and harvest number. For hurdle models, random effects were treated as correlated between the conditional and hurdle portions of the model. Because PDW was measured at three time points, the initial PDW model treated the time points as…
The model appears to contain more subtle evidence of vulnerability to gentrification as well
Running the models with each variable removed, I confirmed that one was not masking the effect of another in any of the cities. Finally, in order to assess whether OLS or spatial models would be more appropriate, I ran Lagrange multiplier tests following Anselin et al. . Lagrange multiplier tests consistently indicated that spatial modeling…
Only Philadelphia appeared to have statistically significant clustering in the locations of gardens
In this chapter, I draw on historical datasets developed from review of organizational documents for each city to conduct a longitudinal spatial analysis of garden accessibility. To fully understand who is benefitting most from community gardens, multiple types of data ought to be considered. Ethnographic research or extensive surveys would be needed to determine who…
Untangling questions of ownership and use has in itself required significant time for city staff and garden advocates
Working in partnership with the City of Milwaukee, the MMSD and the Fund for Lake Michigan have invested billions of dollars to expand both “grey” and “green” infrastructure for storm water management—not only increasing the capacity of pipes and underground storage tanks, but also adding trees and bio-swales and preserving open spaces so that more rainwater…
Differences in civic infrastructure between these cities mirror differences in ideas about governance
Nevertheless, an ethic of straightforward and transparent policy making in the interest of the general public has endured from the days of sewer socialism, contributing to the development of some bottom-up governance infrastructure. One notable element of the city’s governance infrastructure that serves to actualize resident ideas is the Community Improvement Projects program administered by the Neighborhood…
Cynicism runs especially deep for many of the city’s Black residents
Once MUG merged with Groundwork Milwaukee, leveraging public funding and grant sources to employ youth in garden maintenance and service-learning activities became a core function of the program. In its grant applications, media statements and newsletters, the program highlighted the benefits of urban agriculture as a tool for youth development and economic opportunity. MUG was…
How do advocates secure long-term use of garden and farm sites in cities?
How do the organizations involved and the local political economy influence what is valued, and what is considered possible, for these spaces? What are the outcomes of preservation efforts in terms of policy, program characteristics, and garden accessibility? In this chapter, I take up what urban agriculture research has suggested about forms of urban growing,…
The workers on every level of the ladder worry about factors over which they lack control
Responsibilities, stressors, and privileges differ from the top to the bottom of this hierarchy. Everyone on the farm is structurally vulnerable, although the characteristics and depth of vulnerability change depending on one’s position within the labor structure. Control decreases and anxieties accumulate as one moves down the pecking order. Those at the top worry about…
The best time of year to start citrus or avocado seedlings is in early spring
While the importance of considering soil aggregate stability, soil texture, and management history when assessing soil indicators is well-documented in the soil health literature , in practice there continues to be a gap in soil health indicators that are tailored to be site-specific and/or farming system relevant . Given that soil indicators can vary by…
All 13 farms selected for this soil health study were located in Yolo County
As shown in Figure 1 , if the range of ecosystem type is constrained to include only agricultural systems, the relationship between indicators for SOM and gross N mineralization is less evident. In summary, our results suggest that SOM indicators, while not significant, do play a role in influencing N cycling across the farm systems…