Examples of mentioned quantitative methods include: Census of population and economic data, institutional data, price lists and comparisons, and food inventories.
Examples of mentioned qualitative methods include: Informal interviews, newspaper articles, surveys of citizens including children, and focus groups.
Another technique used is mapping. Not only was it used extensively by Pothukuchi, but its importance is also discussed in the "Understanding Measuring Food Environments" article. Looking at food systems spatially, whether that be by determining transportation access or where supermarkets service, is a great addition to any CFA. It is especially important to help visualize the different scales (Neighborhood, Municipality, Regional) to discover whether or not a solution is feasible for a particular scale. An example of this mentioned in the article is say at a neighborhood scale, a better transportation system that might bring more people the opportunity to access grocery stores would be desired and effective. But at a city scale, this same transportation network would be inefficient. Sometimes the different scales conflict with one another.
Pothukuchi also touches upon the benefits of planners implementing these methods. I am particularly fond of the notion that planners who perform these research methods will become better at incorporating the public in planning processes. By say hosting focus groups, planners can continue to improve their skills with the public, arguably the most important aspect of the planning profession.
And as Thomson mentions, this public involvement in analyzing the local food system is beneficial to the citizens and communities as well. Citizens that come together in the process raise awareness for food issues, create coalitions to develop solutions, and educate themselves and thus the community about the local food supply.
What are some other methods for analyzing food systems, coming from the readings or other sources, that you found to be the most useful and efficient? Is it necessary to employ a multitude of techniques when looking at food systems or are their some methods better than others?
Michael, the cliche that comes to mind is there are many ways to skin a cat. However, what I've found to be most important when analyzing data is knowing your end goal. Once you know the questions you are seeking answers for, it will determine what methods will be most applicable. For example, if I wanted to know a community's thoughts on their food system, I would perform a community survey. Additionally, I would use GIS to map the community's socioeconomic demographics, transportation network and placements of grocers, fast-food/restaurants and convenience stores to assist me in the developing questions that would be pertinent to that community. Obviously, there are other methods that could be used, but these are the initial methods that I would utilize and then modify as necessary.
ReplyDeleteMichael, your post does a great job of explaining functions of the community food assessment (CFA) and its many benefits. I think that the best point you put up was about the mapping possibilities CFA's offer. I am getting into the swing of GIS for the first time myself, but I already appreciate how effective maps are at presenting information, and I think they are and can be a great tool for educating those about the food disparities around them. Cartographic maps can especially be useful since they can be made to be easily understood. Also, a good thing about involving the public in planning processes is that it allows the public to have a voice in their community, and allows the planner to gain their trust more easily.
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