Biology
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/11810
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Item The Role of Urban Agriculture in Baltimore Food Systems(2024) Mathews, Meghna Anjali; Zhang, Xin; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The United States is one of the most agriculturally productive countries; and yet, food insecurityremains a significant issue. Urban agriculture in Baltimore, Maryland should be studied further because of its potential to address food insecurity while overcoming systemic barriers created and embedded within food systems. While numerous previous studies have explored food insecurity, knowledge gaps still exist regarding how urban agriculture has influenced food accessibility, and how availability, cultural values of foods, etc. can be improved through increased production and distribution practices of fresher fruits and vegetables in Healthy Food Priority Areas. To address these knowledge gaps, we queried food insecure community members and urban farmers in Baltimore, Maryland to better understand the underlying factors that influence low fruit and vegetable consumption and how they can be mitigated through the establishment of urban agriculture. Urban farmers were interviewed in detail about their production and distribution patterns, and factors influencing the low consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by community members in Baltimore. Food insecure individuals were asked about their food consumption habits and the accessibility of fruit and vegetables, their food purchasing behavior and related challenges, and community needs. Results indicate that while accessibility and availability are two main factors in fresh produce consumption, there are other important factors that might have received limited attention in existing literature. Our interviews revealed that income, cultural value, and a lack of knowledge in food preparation are key factors in low consumption and purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. To address the underlying factors and improve the accessibility and availability of fresh produce to low-income communities, it is important to assess community needs and provide policy recommendations that can potentially enhance their nutrition. Ensuring access to individuals with limited resources is a critical component of advancing social justice.Item UNDERSTANDING MANAGED RETREAT THROUGH A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER LENS: A CASE STUDY ON THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND(2021) Miralles, Andrea Maria; Paolisso, Michael J.; Alcañiz, Isabella; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Due to concerns about increasing sea levels and climate displacement, there has been a growing interest in the adaptation option of managed retreat. In managed retreat, shorelines move inland acting as a natural buffer to coastal climate impacts, while coastal communities move to higher ground through voluntary home buyouts. Managed retreat is also highly controversial, as it is poorly understood and presents significant challenges to equity. In order to address these issues, this thesis research provides a multi-stakeholder analysis on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland focused on understandings and trust in managed retreat processes. Key findings from this research are that communities, government and non-governmental organizations have different understandings of managed retreat, that retreat discussions need to occur at official levels now, that equity must be a central component of planning, that trust is necessary for successful retreat and that any future retreat must emphasize community agency and collaboration.Item Using an Inductive Grounded Theory Approach to Understand How Screening Tools and Case Studies Assess Environmental Injustices in Communities in the United States(2021) Taylor, Faith Corryn; Paolisso, Michael J; Alcañiz, Isabella; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Communities of color and low-income communities in the United States are disproportionately overburdened with environmental burdens while having reduced access to environmental amenities and other environmental services. The collective term for this experience is environmental injustice. Case studies and screening tools are two common methods of assessing environmental injustices at the community level. There have been comprehensive analyses of both screening tools and case studies, but there has been little comparative work on how screens and case studies capture environmental injustices. Through the use of an inductive grounded theory approach, 24 case studies and eight screens were reviewed and coded using MAXQDA to identify a total of 38 themes. Additionally, eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with a variety of stakeholder groups to identify additional themes that may not have been present in either screens or case studies. Race, socioeconomic status, environmental impacts and degradation, land use-physical hazards and reduced health outcomes were the most commonly identified themes in both screens and case studies. Case studies addressed a larger proportion of the identified themes, but these themes were unevenly distributed. By completing a comparative analysis of how environmental injustices are captured by case studies and screening tools, this thesis seeks to highlight potential weaknesses that limit the capability of these methods to effectively assess and reflect the environmental justice concerns held by community members.