@article{dankbar_long_bloom_hohenshell_brinkmeyer_miller_2023, title={Applying emerging core competencies to extension training courses for local food system practitioners}, volume={12}, ISSN={2152-0801}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.007}, DOI={10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.007}, abstractNote={In 2019, a national group of local food system educators and practitioners identified over 140 foundational core competencies critical to local food system development work and began to identify existing educational resources related to these competencies. This process resulted in a new aggregated resource: the Local Food System Practitioner and Educational Resource Database. Included in this database is a core competency matrix that distinguishes three levels of learning for each competency so that practitioners can identify learning opportunities most closely tailored to their educational needs. It also serves as a framework and competency matrix for educators to use to help assess and communicate the learn­ing out­comes of their curricula. This framework is the overall concept for understanding the compe­ten­cies, and the matrix is the tool developed to assess and evaluate the level at which an educa­tional resource teaches a competency. In this article we apply the newly create core competency matrix to two existing local food system develop­ment courses. We share lessons learned from applying the matrix and insights gained from com­paring two introductory level courses. We con­clude with recommendations for improving the resource database and matrix to a more user-friendly model for educators and local food system practitioners.}, number={2}, journal={Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development}, publisher={Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems}, author={Dankbar, Hannah and Long, Courtney and Bloom, Dara and Hohenshell, Kaley and Brinkmeyer, Emma and Miller, Bre}, year={2023}, month={Mar}, pages={1–17} }
 @article{ammons_blacklin_bloom_brown_cappellazzi_creamer_cruz_hynson_knight_lauffer_et al._2021, title={A collaborative approach to COVID-19 response: The Center for Environmental Farming Systems community-based food system initiatives}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2152-0801"]}, DOI={10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.004}, abstractNote={The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) has spent the past two decades developing local food systems to support communities and increase resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how existing structural inequities, primarily along racial lines, are exacerbated. It has also shown the value of community-based food systems work that helps communities network, sharing valuable resources and funding to respond to the ongoing crisis. In this article, we document how CEFS’ community-based food systems initiatives are responding to the pandemic. Some of CEFS programs are community-based, working with food policy councils, offering racial equity trainings, networking schools and early care and education sites, and supporting youth convenings and internships. Others are focused on production and supply chains for meat, seafood, and produce in order to develop stronger local food systems. Through­out the work of all of CEFS’ community-based food systems initiatives in response to the pandemic, we have learned that our past efforts have increased local food systems resilience. We also note the impor­tance of flexible funders who allowed grant dollars to be reallocated to community partners to address urgent needs. We have found that online programming has increased participation and access to resources. Finally, we have been inspired by the creativity, flexibility, and adaptability of our community partners, and we are energized to continue to support them while also offering the resources we have developed to a broader audience.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE FOOD SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT}, author={Ammons, Shorlette and Blacklin, Sarah and Bloom, Dara and Brown, Shironda and Cappellazzi, Marcello and Creamer, Nancy and Cruz, Angel and Hynson, Janie and Knight, Gini and Lauffer, Laura and et al.}, year={2021}, pages={297–302} }
 @article{mycek_hardison-moody_bloom_bowen_elliott_2019, title={Learning to eat the “right” way: examining nutrition socialization from the perspective of immigrants and refugees}, volume={23}, ISSN={1552-8014 1751-7443}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2019.1700681}, DOI={10.1080/15528014.2019.1700681}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Existing studies suggests that immigrants’ dietary quality often declines over time after they move to the U.S., despite public and private efforts to provide immigrants and refugees to the U.S. with nutritional resources. Drawing on two interview-based studies with immigrants (n = 30) and refugees (n = 8) in North Carolina, we find that these immigrant/refugee communities often have healthy food traditions from their home countries that they want to maintain, but they lack guidance about how to navigate the U.S. food system in order to do so. Our findings question the notion that “good nutrition” is a universal concept; we argue that by focusing solely on the nutritional components of food, rather than approaching dietary behavior holistically, service providers exacerbate the challenges that immigrants and refugees face in continuing healthy food traditions in the U.S. Our analyzes extend previous research on food socialization by specifically examining the nutrition socialization process of immigrant and refugees, furthering our understanding of how and why immigrants’ diets change over time.}, number={1}, journal={Food, Culture & Society}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Mycek, Mari Kate and Hardison-Moody, Annie and Bloom, J. Dara and Bowen, Sarah and Elliott, Sinikka}, year={2019}, month={Dec}, pages={46–65} }
 @article{bloom_hardison-moody_schulman_2018, title={Bonding and bridging: Leveraging immigrant and refugee community assets to support healthy eating}, volume={49}, ISSN={1557-5330 1944-7485}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2018.1431682}, DOI={10.1080/15575330.2018.1431682}, abstractNote={Abstract Studies of acculturation show that immigrants/refugees who fully adapt to US diets have worse health outcomes than those who remain socially isolated; however, social isolation limits access to resources. We combine a bi-directional model of acculturation with the community capitals framework, suggesting improved outcomes when immigrant/refugee communities maintain healthy traditions from their home countries through bonding social capital, while accessing resources through bridging social capital to practice those traditions in the US context. We apply this lens to a research/outreach project that worked with two immigrant/refugee communities in North Carolina. Facilitating communities’ bridging social capital resulted in increased access to resources, as well as maintenance of healthy food traditions in some cases. Bonding social capital was an internal resource, but also had the potential to inadvertently recreate internal power dynamics. Community developers need to be aware of this, while creating opportunities for community context and assets to drive project development.}, number={2}, journal={Community Development}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Bloom, J.D. and Hardison-Moody, A. and Schulman, M.}, year={2018}, month={Jan}, pages={211–230} }
 @article{johnson_dunning_bloom_gunter_boyette_creamer_2018, title={Estimating on-farm food loss at the field level: A methodology and applied case study on a North Carolina farm}, volume={137}, ISSN={["1879-0658"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.05.017}, abstractNote={Current estimates of food loss at the farm level are either carried forward from decades-old estimates that rely on data from small farms using alternative agricultural practices, or they are based on grower estimates reported during interviews. A straightforward protocol adaptable to many crops is necessary to provide comparable data that can begin to fill gaps in knowledge on food loss in the US. Accurate estimation of on-farm losses for fruits and vegetables can inform ongoing national food loss and waste discussions and farm-level business decisions that hold potentially positive impacts for farm viability and resource-use efficiency. This paper describes a straightforward methodology for field-level measurement and demonstrates its utility on six vegetable crops harvested in 13 fields of a 121-hectare North Carolina vegetable farm. In this case, results showed that on average, approximately 65% of the unharvested crop that remained in the field was of wholesome, edible quality, although the appearance may not meet buyers' specifications for certain markets. The overall estimated average of vegetable crops that remained unharvested, yet were wholesome and available for recovery, was 8840 kg per hectare on the case study farm. The portion of the grower's reported total marketed yield that remained unutilized in the field averaged 57%, a figure greatly exceeding current estimates of farm level loss. Developing strategies to utilize these losses could enable growers to increase the amount of fresh produce moving into the supply chain, and represent a path towards sustainable intensification of vegetable crop production.}, journal={RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Johnson, Lisa K. and Dunning, Rebecca D. and Bloom, J. Dara and Gunter, Chris C. and Boyette, Michael D. and Creamer, Nancy G.}, year={2018}, month={Oct}, pages={243–250} }
 @article{rutz_bloom_schroeder-moreno_gunter_2018, title={Farm to childcare: An analysis of social and economic values in local food systems}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2152-0801"]}, DOI={10.5304/jafscd.2018.083.004}, abstractNote={Farm to institution is a component of the local food movement, representing the growing link between local producers and organizations like schools, prisons, and hospitals. These are organizations that have concentrated buying power and thus a sizable influence on local food supply chains. Farm to childcare represents a next step in farm to institution, serving young children at the apex of their habit formation and biological development, and providing economic opportunities for local farmers. Using a qualitative case study methodology in one urban county in North Carolina, this paper asks the questions: (1) How do childcare centers, farmers, and distributors negotiate the tensions between social and financial values in the farm-to-childcare initiative? and (2) What strategies do these supply chain actors use to overcome barriers? Analyzing the perceptions of participation in a farm-to-childcare project of 11 childcare centers, 11 farmers, and four distributors shows parallel values for children’s health and community cona * Corresponding author: Jacob C. Rutz, Farm to Childcare Farmer Liaison, Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences, North Carolina State University; 512 Brickhaven Road, Box 7606; Raleigh, NC 27695 USA; +1-513-939-6444;}, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE FOOD SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT}, author={Rutz, Jacob C. and Bloom, J. Dara and Schroeder-Moreno, Michelle and Gunter, Chris}, year={2018}, pages={23–39} }
 @book{bloom_alford_mansure_2017, place={Raleigh, NC}, title={Best Practices for Integrating Local Food into Nutrition Education and Cooking Classes}, url={https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/best-practices-for-utilizing-local-food-in-nutrition-education-and-cooking-classes}, institution={NC Cooperative Extension}, author={Bloom, J.D. and Alford, Z. and Mansure, M.}, year={2017} }
 @book{bloom_gamble_2017, place={Raleigh, NC}, title={Farm to Food Bank Resource Guide for North Carolina Cooperative Extension}, url={https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/farm-to-food-bank-resource-guide}, publisher={NC Cooperative Extension}, author={Bloom, J.D. and Gamble, E.}, year={2017} }
 @article{bloom_lelekacs_dunning_piner_brinkmeyer_2017, title={Local Food Systems Course for Extension Educators in North Carolina: Summary of an Innovative Program}, volume={55}, url={https://www.joe.org/joe/2017august/iw2.php}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Extension}, author={Bloom, J.D. and Lelekacs, J.M. and Dunning, R. and Piner, A. and Brinkmeyer, E.}, year={2017} }
 @article{bloom_hinrichs_2017, title={The long reach of lean retailing: Firm embeddedness and Wal-Mart's implementation of local produce sourcing in the US}, volume={49}, ISSN={["1472-3409"]}, DOI={10.1177/0308518x16663207}, abstractNote={ With its corresponding concepts of societal, territorial, and network embeddedness, firm embeddedness offers a theoretical framework for analyzing how retailers develop strategies and business models determined by their home country context, but also adapted to new places, consumers, and networks. This paper uses firm embeddedness to examine food retailer adaptation within a changing home market, focusing on Wal-Mart’s efforts to implement local produce sourcing in the U.S. Growing consumer interest in local food has sufficiently shifted the competitive landscape within the U.S. market that Wal-Mart and other food retailers have sought to incorporate local produce into their operations. This paper asks whether Wal-Mart’s core lean retailing strategy facilitates or impedes such efforts to localize its U.S. produce supply chains. Qualitative field research conducted in 2011–2012 in one U.S. region centered on semi-structured interviews with 27 fresh fruit and vegetable producers involved in Wal-Mart’s local produce supply chains and 20 representatives of organizations facilitating commercial relationships between local growers and Wal-Mart. We find that the lean retailing model developed by Wal-Mart in response to historical circumstances in U.S. retailing and central to its present global retail dominance also limits Wal-Mart’s ability to engage in the bottom-up learning and adaptation to local contexts necessary for adjusting to the new competitive environment of local food. Wal-Mart’s centralized management and distribution systems, practices of cutting out intermediaries, and emphasis on standardization all presented some barriers to establishing the territorial and network embeddedness that could facilitate adaptation. However, we conclude that rather than simply failing to adapt to the challenges of localization, Wal-Mart applied a hybrid strategy in its local produce sourcing program. This hybrid strategy combined lean retailing—Wal-Mart’s traditional basis of competition—with selected, rather than comprehensive aspects of localization. }, number={1}, journal={ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING A-ECONOMY AND SPACE}, author={Bloom, J. Dara and Hinrichs, C. Clare}, year={2017}, month={Jan}, pages={168–185} }
 @article{hardison-moody_jones_bloom_2016, title={Incorporating Farmers’ Market Tours Into the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned}, volume={48}, ISSN={1499-4046}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.JNEB.2016.04.194}, DOI={10.1016/J.JNEB.2016.04.194}, abstractNote={To improve fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income consumers through guided tours of farmers’ markets, implemented as part of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Low-income families with children. Research indicates that low-income consumers are less likely to shop at farmers’ markets and that these populations are often those with the lowest intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Project was piloted in six counties in North Carolina. EFNEP Program Assistants (PAs) received training and partnered with a local Cooperative Extension agent to deliver a farmers’ market tour at the mid-point of a nine-lesson series on healthy eating. Sixty-five participants completed the series. Classes were conducted at two food pantries, an on-site Women Infants and Children (WIC) office, a substance abuse residential program, a church, and a Latino community center. Pre- and post-class series behavior change assessment and dietary recall. Evaluation data shows that 35% of participants improved fruit intake and 56% improved vegetable intake. Interviews with all six PAs found that participants: plan to visit the farmers’ market again in the future, tried new recipes with foods purchased at the market, and learned how to talk with and ask questions of farmers’ market vendors. Farmers’ market tours are an effective strategy for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and familiarity with local foods, when carried out as part of a series of nutrition education classes.}, number={7}, journal={Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Hardison-Moody, Annie and Jones, L. and Bloom, J. Dara}, year={2016}, month={Jul}, pages={S73} }
 @article{hardison-moody_gore_bloom_schulman_2016, title={Local Food Access Among a Diverse Group of Immigrants and Refugees in North Carolina: A Qualitative Study}, volume={48}, ISSN={1499-4046}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.JNEB.2016.04.032}, DOI={10.1016/J.JNEB.2016.04.032}, abstractNote={ObjectiveImmigrant and refugee populations in the U.S. are at increased risk for chronic disease due to dietary changes associated with acculturation. They often have poor access to healthy foods, community organizations and resources. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we explore how to better integrate immigrant and refugee communities into local food systems and adapt Extension resources to meet communities’ needs. Objectives are to determine barriers and assets regarding local food access; establish partnerships with local food and nutrition resources; and implement participant-led projects.Design, Setting, Participants, and InterventionCommunity workshops were held with three groups in central North Carolina: Karen refugees from Burma, a diverse population of immigrants from a mosque, and Latino immigrants. Each group helped design and implement a community garden/farming project based on community assets and resources.Outcome Measures and AnalysisQualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 participants and analyzed using thematic coding.ResultsAnalysis reveals that immigrants/refugees shared food produced at the gardens/farms with their communities, thereby increasing community food access. Three lessons learned from this project: community workshops are key to understanding participants’ context and preferences; communities’ food-related cultural practices are vital assets; and building community connections with Extension and other non-profits can help migrants utilize and build upon existing food-related skills. Barriers to participation included time, communication breakdowns, and transportation.Conclusion and ImplicationsTo address dietary acculturation, programs must be adapted for diverse community populations with different experiences and backgrounds in gardening and food production. This research demonstrates that agricultural-based programs may increase access to healthy foods and identifies significant food-based assets among diverse migrant populations.FundingNorth Carolina State University Office of Extension, Engagement, and Economic Development ObjectiveImmigrant and refugee populations in the U.S. are at increased risk for chronic disease due to dietary changes associated with acculturation. They often have poor access to healthy foods, community organizations and resources. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we explore how to better integrate immigrant and refugee communities into local food systems and adapt Extension resources to meet communities’ needs. Objectives are to determine barriers and assets regarding local food access; establish partnerships with local food and nutrition resources; and implement participant-led projects. Immigrant and refugee populations in the U.S. are at increased risk for chronic disease due to dietary changes associated with acculturation. They often have poor access to healthy foods, community organizations and resources. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we explore how to better integrate immigrant and refugee communities into local food systems and adapt Extension resources to meet communities’ needs. Objectives are to determine barriers and assets regarding local food access; establish partnerships with local food and nutrition resources; and implement participant-led projects. Design, Setting, Participants, and InterventionCommunity workshops were held with three groups in central North Carolina: Karen refugees from Burma, a diverse population of immigrants from a mosque, and Latino immigrants. Each group helped design and implement a community garden/farming project based on community assets and resources. Community workshops were held with three groups in central North Carolina: Karen refugees from Burma, a diverse population of immigrants from a mosque, and Latino immigrants. Each group helped design and implement a community garden/farming project based on community assets and resources. Outcome Measures and AnalysisQualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 participants and analyzed using thematic coding. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 participants and analyzed using thematic coding. ResultsAnalysis reveals that immigrants/refugees shared food produced at the gardens/farms with their communities, thereby increasing community food access. Three lessons learned from this project: community workshops are key to understanding participants’ context and preferences; communities’ food-related cultural practices are vital assets; and building community connections with Extension and other non-profits can help migrants utilize and build upon existing food-related skills. Barriers to participation included time, communication breakdowns, and transportation. Analysis reveals that immigrants/refugees shared food produced at the gardens/farms with their communities, thereby increasing community food access. Three lessons learned from this project: community workshops are key to understanding participants’ context and preferences; communities’ food-related cultural practices are vital assets; and building community connections with Extension and other non-profits can help migrants utilize and build upon existing food-related skills. Barriers to participation included time, communication breakdowns, and transportation. Conclusion and ImplicationsTo address dietary acculturation, programs must be adapted for diverse community populations with different experiences and backgrounds in gardening and food production. This research demonstrates that agricultural-based programs may increase access to healthy foods and identifies significant food-based assets among diverse migrant populations. To address dietary acculturation, programs must be adapted for diverse community populations with different experiences and backgrounds in gardening and food production. This research demonstrates that agricultural-based programs may increase access to healthy foods and identifies significant food-based assets among diverse migrant populations.}, number={7}, journal={Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Hardison-Moody, Annie and Gore, A.K. and Bloom, J. Dara and Schulman, M.}, year={2016}, month={Jul}, pages={S10–S11} }
 @article{bloom_2015, title={Standards for Development: Food Safety and Sustainability in Wal-Mart's Honduran Produce Supply Chains}, volume={80}, ISSN={["1549-0831"]}, DOI={10.1111/ruso.12060}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={2}, journal={RURAL SOCIOLOGY}, author={Bloom, J. Dara}, year={2015}, month={Jun}, pages={198–227} }
 @article{dunning_bloom_creamer_2015, title={The local food movement, public-private partnerships, and food system resiliency}, journal={Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences}, author={Dunning, R. and Bloom, J.D. and Creamer, N.}, year={2015}, pages={1–10} }
 @article{bloom_2014, title={Civil Society in Hybrid Governance: Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Legitimacy in Mediating Wal-Mart's Local Produce Supply Chains in Honduras}, volume={6}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, DOI={10.3390/su6107388}, abstractNote={This paper challenges the notion that the incorporation of actors from civil society into hybrid governance arrangements improves outcomes and legitimacy. Multi-stakeholder collaborations are a popular hybrid governance approach to development, including NGOs’ work to integrate smallholder farmers into supermarket supply chains. As a result, NGOs’ service provision role has expanded to include market facilitation, often necessitating NGOs act as market intermediaries. This paper explores how this new role may jeopardize NGOs’ organizational legitimacy in the eyes of their constituents, other development organizations, and supermarket partners, and therefore ultimately affect their ability to represent civil society in hybrid governance arrangements. Drawing on qualitative data collected in the Central American country of Honduras, this paper focuses on NGOs’ role organizing producer associations to facilitate access to Wal-Mart supermarkets. Findings suggest that a lack of supply chain transparency, NGOs’ negotiation between commercial and aid-oriented goals, and the potential to exclude producers from development projects threaten NGOs’ legitimacy. These findings illustrate the difficulties of embedding philanthropic activities in market-based systems, and demonstrate how multi-stakeholder collaborations may be influenced more by commercial priorities than the elements of a partnership. Ultimately, development NGOs are products of neoliberal, hybrid governance, even as their activities are expected to ease the transition of small-scale producers into this system.}, number={10}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, author={Bloom, J. Dara}, year={2014}, month={Oct}, pages={7388–7411} }
 @book{bloom_lelekacs_2014, title={Eat Local. Eat Healthy.}, journal={Local foods program brochure}, author={Bloom, J. Dara and Lelekacs, Joanna M.}, year={2014} }