Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

Using Anthropology to Assess Engagements between Farmers Markets, Communities and Students

Department

Anthropology

College

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Date Range

2010-2011

Abstract

The farmer's market movement is a popular local alternative to food globalization. While farmer's markets link fresh food to urban and rural communities, the success of these links requires thoughtful assessment across various groups of stakeholders. Anthropology provides a useful tool kit for studying and assessing these links, through student projects, ethnography, Rapid Market Assessment, and service learning. This paper describes the range of illustrations of engagement, based on 5 years of projects, between students and communities at farmer's markets in West Michigan. A field school approach illustrates academic/community collaboration and the role of anthropology as a tool for assessing such efforts. Those who attend this session will take away lessons on integrating strategies of assessment to improve both food provisioning across communities, and student learning/training as well.

Conference Name

Central State Anthropological Society Annual Conference

Conference Location

Iowa City, Iowa

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