@article{brune_knollenberg_vilá_2024, title={Building Tourism Resilience through Communication}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp5010004}, DOI={10.3390/tourhosp5010004}, abstractNote={The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the tourism industry called attention to how crucial it is for tourism operations to be resilient, as their ability to overcome crises also impacts communities and adjacent industries. The communication theory of resilience argues that resilience is a dynamic capability that can be developed through communication processes. Exploring the role of communication processes in building resilience is important to establishing holistic strategies that strengthen the tourism industry. This work applies the communication theory of resilience to explore the employment of communication processes by agritourism operators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven agritourism operators in North Carolina, USA, were interviewed about resilience strategies at three points in time in 2020. These interviews revealed the value of communication processes in building resilience in agritourism operations and the facilitating role of communication technologies. These findings reveal that resilience is built collaboratively through social engagement and interaction.}, journal={Tourism and Hospitality}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Vilá, Olivia}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_vila_2023, title={Agritourism resilience during the COVID-19 crisis}, volume={99}, ISSN={["1873-7722"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2023.103538}, DOI={10.1016/j.annals.2023.103538}, abstractNote={Resilience is critical to the sustainability of the tourism industry, which was made particularly evident during the COVID-19 crisis. COVID-19 impacted all sectors of the tourism industry revealing previously unknown strengths and weaknesses. Through a longitudinal qualitative approach, we identified the evolving challenges and coping strategies of agritourism operations under the COVID-19 crisis in North Carolina, USA. The results indicate that agritourism operations not only withstood the health crisis but also advanced the management of their operation and customer satisfaction through diversification and reorganization strategies. We use chaos theory to show how agritourism operations took advantage of the context of uncertainty to employ practices that ultimately showcased their resilience.}, journal={ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Vila, Olivia}, year={2023}, month={Mar} }
 @article{brune_vilá_knollenberg_2023, title={Family farms' resilience under the COVID-19 crisis: Challenges and opportunities with agritourism}, volume={134}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106902}, DOI={10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106902}, abstractNote={Family farms play a key role in food production, natural resources stewardship, and economic development in the United States (US). Therefore, family farms' resilience (i.e., their capacity to deal with disturbances or shocks and recover from their negative impacts) is crucial for sustainability goals. The COVID-19 crisis posed several challenges to already strained family farms opening an opportunity to build valuable knowledge on family farm resilience. In this paper, we examine family farms evolving challenges and coping strategies to the COVID-19 crisis through a qualitative longitudinal approach in North Carolina, US. The results indicate family farms perceive change and uncertainty as constants, employ a combination of strategies to ensure diversification and flexibility, and rely on extensive networks to access information and make decisions. By sustaining their operations during the COVID-19 crisis, family farms benefited their communities by expanding consumers' food options and offering recreational services. Yet, to deal with uncertainty, farmers had to embrace risks, sometimes at the expense of personal resilience. Thus, policies to support family farms in times of crisis must be implemented to continue to obtain the benefits they offer to society and promote sustainable livelihoods.}, journal={Land Use Policy}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Brune, Sara and Vilá, Olivia and Knollenberg, Whitney}, year={2023}, month={Nov}, pages={106902} }
 @article{reilly_stevenson_cutts_brune_knollenberg_barbieri_2023, title={Family matters: intergenerational influences on children's agricultural literacy}, volume={9}, ISSN={["1940-1892"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.2257884}, DOI={10.1080/00958964.2023.2257884}, abstractNote={AbstractAgricultural and environmental literacy are essential public goods, but associated education efforts struggle to reach broad audiences. Understanding learner backgrounds and lived experiences can help address this challenge. We assessed the relative importance of demographics, parent views of agriculture, interactions with farmers and parents, and learning setting in predicting agricultural literacy among 525 elementary school children in North Carolina, USA. We used classification and regression trees and random forest models, which account for non-linear and interacting relationships. Knowing a farmer and engagement with parents were more predictive of children agricultural literacy than demographics, countering historically held deficit-based assumptions around agricultural and environmental literacy.Keywords: agricultural literacyenvironmental literacyclassification and regression tree analysisculturally responsive programming AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank the participating families who took time out of their farm visits or busy days to share their thoughts and feelings on local foods. We also thank the teachers who partnered with us on this project, particularly those who continued as COVID-19 posed a myriad of challenges.Disclosure statementNo potential competing interest was reported by the author(s).}, journal={JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION}, author={Reilly, Caitlin and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Cutts, Bethany B. and Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Barbieri, Carla}, year={2023}, month={Sep} }
 @inbook{knollenberg_brune_harrison_savage_2023, title={Identifying a community capital investment portfolio to sustain a tourism workforce}, url={https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003435457-11}, DOI={10.4324/9781003435457-11}, author={Knollenberg, Whitney and Brune, Sara and Harrison, Jane and Savage, Ann E.}, year={2023}, month={Dec} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_barbieri_stevenson_2023, title={Towards a unified definition of local food}, volume={103}, ISSN={["1873-1392"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103135}, DOI={10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103135}, abstractNote={Despite the growing popularity of local food, there is still no unified definition used across the board. The lack of unified definition of local food can prevent effective marketing, policymaking, and research efforts. Given the inconsistencies on local food definitions, we sought to fill this gap by surveying consumers’ understanding of local food in North Carolina (NC, USA) departing from three categories of definitions found in the literature; local food defined in terms of: (1) market outlet (e.g., food bought directly from the farmer); (2) locality or political boundaries (e.g., food produced within the country); and (3) distance (e.g., food produced within 100 miles of commercialization). Informed by our study results, we propose defining local food in terms of the specific locality where is produced (e.g., county or state) as opposed to defining local food in terms of distance or market outlet. While the meaning of local food will remain contested among activists, governmental entities, and researchers, this study confirms that a shared meaning among consumers is emerging that should be incorporated across policy making, marketing, and research efforts.}, journal={JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Barbieri, Carla and Stevenson, Kathryn}, year={2023}, month={Oct} }
 @article{reilly_stevenson_warner_park_knollenberg_lawson_brune_barbieri_2022, title={Agricultural and environmental education: a call for meaningful collaboration in a U.S. context}, volume={28}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2040431}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2022.2040431}, abstractNote={Abstract Blending agricultural education (AE) and environmental education (EE) frameworks is a promising pathway towards the goals of boosting environmental engagement and support for local agricultural systems among broad public audiences. However, thoughtful and intentional collaboration between researchers is needed to facilitate these outcomes. We feel it is important to collapse existing disciplinary walls between AE and EE to effectively reposition both as critical public goods and address inequitable access to environmental and agricultural knowledge among the next generation. In this paper, we outline the historical context for the silos between U.S.-based AE and EE programmatic and research practice. We then present a new collaborative structure for scholars in both fields to work together to build agricultural and environmental literacy in support of environmentally sustainable, economically robust, and socially responsible agroecosystems. Ultimately, we aim to create structures for broader and more collaborative efforts through which to improve agricultural and environmental literacy for new generations of learners.}, number={9}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Reilly, C. and Stevenson, K. and Warner, W. and Park, T. and Knollenberg, W. and Lawson, D. and Brune, S. and Barbieri, C.}, year={2022}, pages={1410–1422} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_stevenson_barbieri_2022, title={Investigating Predictors of Public- and Private-Sphere Sustainable Behaviors in the Context of Agritourism}, volume={14}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020663}, DOI={10.3390/su14020663}, abstractNote={Encouraging sustainable behaviors regarding food choices among the public is crucial to ensure food systems’ sustainability. We expand the understanding of sustainable behavioral change by assessing engagement in local food systems (LFSs) in the context of agritourism experiences. Using theory of planned behavior (TPB) and personal norms, we conducted pre–post-surveys at agritourism farms to measure the impact of changes in the TPB behavioral antecedents as predictors of the following behavioral intentions regarding LFS engagement: (1) purchasing local food (private-sphere behavior), (2) increasing monthly budget to purchase local food (private-sphere behavior) and (3) advocating for local food (public-sphere behavior). Our findings indicate that strategies to encourage LFS engagement should seek to activate moral considerations that can motivate action across private and public behaviors, which applies to various demographic groups. To stimulate collective action, strategies should target subjective norms specifically (e.g., encouraging social interaction around local food), while strategies encouraging private behaviors should focus on easing perceived barriers to buying local food (e.g., promoting local food outlets). As agritourism experiences effectively modify the three above-mentioned behavioral antecedents, we advocate for holistic experiences that provide opportunities for deeper engagement with local food, stimulate the senses, and facilitate social interaction around LFSs.}, number={2}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Stevenson, Kathryn and Barbieri, Carla}, year={2022}, month={Jan} }
 @article{knollenberg_brune_harrison_savage_2021, title={Identifying a community capital investment portfolio to sustain a tourism workforce}, volume={30}, ISSN={0966-9582 1747-7646}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1890094}, DOI={10.1080/09669582.2021.1890094}, abstractNote={Abstract Members of the tourism workforce are a crucial resource, whose quality and quantity determine the success of tourism businesses and destinations. Yet, they are frequently subjected to social, psychological, and economic stressors which can result in isolation from destination communities or limited interest in participation in the tourism workforce. Both of these outcomes threaten the sustainability of tourism businesses and destinations, but more importantly create a working environment that can be unjust or unsafe for tourism workforce members. This study relies upon the community capitals framework to identify the resources that currently support the tourism workforce in an island community whose economic and social structure is heavily reliant upon tourism. Analysis of data from in-depth interviews and focus groups with thirty-seven tourism stakeholders reveals the social, cultural, human, and natural capital assets used to support a tourism workforce. An “investment portfolio” for these capitals offers development strategies that can be implemented to help sustain the tourism workforce.}, number={12}, journal={Journal of Sustainable Tourism}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Knollenberg, Whitney and Brune, Sara and Harrison, Jane and Savage, Ann E.}, year={2021}, month={Feb}, pages={2806–2822} }
 @article{johnson_brune_dagan_meier_wilkins_zhang_2020, title={A holistic strategy for carbon reduction programs in parks and protected areas: Leveraging three “fixes”}, volume={36}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/p536349858}, DOI={10.5070/p536349858}, abstractNote={Author(s): Johnson, Dana; Brune, Sara; Dagan, Dani T.; Meier, Erica; Wilkins, Emily J.; Zhang, Hongchao | Abstract: Anthropogenic climate change is a systemic threat to conservation goals and society at large, and parks and protected areas (PPAs) are uniquely positioned to play an important role in mitigating this crisis. Reducing global carbon emissions is critical for tackling climate change and we believe PPAs serve an important role in facilitating these reductions. Drawing from Thomas Heberlein’s framing of cognitive, technological, and structural fixes, and particularly the lesson that the most effective approaches include all three, we discuss ways that PPA managers can leverage each fix to reduce global carbon emissions. We present the three fixes as pillars of a holistic carbon emission mitigation approach in PPAs and use examples to contextualize each type of fix. However, each PPA is characterized by context-dependent attributes that require climate change “fixes” to be tailored to unique social, cultural, physical, and natural conditions for maximizing long-term sustainable solutions. Therefore, managers who seek to implement or expand carbon emission mitigation strategies may refer to this article, and the examples included herein, as a framework to identify the strengths of their current approaches and to explore areas that can be further developed. [This is a paper from “Systemic Threats to Parks a Protected Areas,” the 2020 George Wright Society Student Summit.]}, number={3}, journal={Parks Stewardship Forum}, publisher={California Digital Library (CDL)}, author={Johnson, Dana and Brune, Sara and Dagan, Dani T. and Meier, Erica and Wilkins, Emily J. and Zhang, Hongchao}, year={2020}, month={Sep} }
 @article{development and validation of a children’s agricultural literacy instrument for local food_2020, volume={61}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.0300233}, DOI={10.5032/jae.2020.0300233}, abstractNote={While increasing agricultural literacy (AL) has been the focus of numerous educational programs, few AL scales have been developed specifically for children. AL programming struggles to rigorously evaluate their programs, particularly when little time is available for assessments in informal contexts. The lack of evaluation tools that allow to accurately measure educational impacts compromises progress on AL. In this paper, we present the development and validation of the Agricultural Literacy Instrument for Local Foods (ALI-LF) for children between the ages of 9 and 13. The instrument measures three domains of agricultural literacy (knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors). We pilot tested the instrument with children between 9 and 13 years old at a local arboretum and further validated the instrument at six agritourism farms. To analyze the data, we used principal component factor, Cronbach’s alpha, and descriptive statistics. The results support a comprehensive reliable instrument validated for informal contexts, such as farms offering recreational or educational activities to visitors (i.e., agritourism). This instrument fills the existing gap of adequate tools to evaluate AL programming which can support moving forward AL advances among children.}, number={3}, journal={Journal of Agricultural Education}, publisher={American Association for Agricultural Education}, year={2020} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_stevenson_barbieri_schroeder-moreno_2021, title={The Influence of Agritourism Experiences on Consumer Behavior toward Local Food}, volume={7}, url={https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520938869}, DOI={10.1177/0047287520938869}, abstractNote={ Agritourism—visiting a working farm for education or recreation—may serve as a tool to increase local food consumption as it often includes opportunities to purchase local food on-site. Yet, the influence of agritourism on consumers’ local food purchasing behavior remains underexplored. Thus, this study measures the impact of agritourism experiences on consumers’ intentions to purchase local food. To do so, visitors were surveyed at six agritourism farms with similar agritourism activities (e.g., U-pick, educational displays, and on-site market) located across North Carolina (USA) before (pre) and after (post) their visits ( n = 328). Data, collected during the 2018–2019 peak agritourism season, were analyzed using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance. Findings indicate that agritourism experiences effectively increase consumers’ intentions to purchase local food. These findings advance the scholarship of agritourism. They also provide useful information to design effective marketing campaigns to promote the purchase and consumption of local food and strengthen local agricultural systems. }, journal={Journal of Travel Research}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Barbieri, Carla and Schroeder-Moreno, Michelle}, year={2021}, month={Jul}, pages={004728752093886} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_stevenson_barbieri_2020, title={U-Pick Farms: Harvesting More than Pumpkins}, volume={38}, ISSN={["2160-6862"]}, DOI={10.18666/JPRA-2020-10038}, abstractNote={Recreational experiences offer many benefits to individuals and society, including improved mental and physical health. Yet, limited evidence is available on the potential benefits of recreation as a path to stimulate desired behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this work is to discuss preliminary findings of whether participating in agritourism influences intended local foods purchasing behavior. To achieve this purpose, we surveyed 173 recreationists before and after visiting a farm offering recreational activities (agritourism) in 2018. Results of repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance indicate that agritourism influenced participants’ attitudes and intended behavior toward local foods although subjective norms and perceived behavioral control remained unchanged. However, the regression analysis indicated that changes in subjective norms and perceived behavioral control predicted changes in intended behavior. We conclude that agritourism can encourage consumers’ purchasing intentions of local foods, supporting an underexplored additional benefit of recreational experiences as a path to promote desirable behaviors. Further, agritourism experiences may be most effective at encouraging local foods purchasing when they show that buying local foods is socially supported and relatively easy. Subscribe to JPRA}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF PARK AND RECREATION ADMINISTRATION}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Barbieri, Carla}, year={2020}, pages={135–144} }
 @article{knollenberg_brune_harrison_savage_2019, title={Strategies to facilitate the integration of Hispanic migrants in a tourism-dependent community}, volume={13}, ISSN={1940-7963 1940-7971}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2019.1592827}, DOI={10.1080/19407963.2019.1592827}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Tourism employers and tourism-dependent communities have come to rely on migrants to fill the considerable labor needs of the tourism industry. However, migrants are not always well integrated into the communities that they support, leaving them, the tourism industry, and tourism-dependent communities vulnerable. Set in a community where migrants have been welcomed and well integrated this study utilized in-depth interviews and focus groups with migrants, residents, tourism business owners, and policymakers to identify strategies that have helped Hispanic migrants integrate into a tourism-dependent community. Analysis of this qualitative data was guided by the social exclusion framework. This analysis revealed how economic, social, political, and cultural dimensions play a role in migrants’ integration into the community. The findings reveal the importance of applying a multidimensional approach to integrating migrants into tourism-dependent communities—e.g. language, an element of the social dimension, facilitated activities related to the political dimension. Based upon these findings multiple strategies for integrating migrants into tourism-dependent communities are presented. These strategies move the literature beyond a descriptive identification of the challenges migrants face in integrating into tourism-dependent communities. Such strategies provide opportunities for tourism-dependent communities to improve the well-being of the tourism industry through the well-being of migrants.}, number={1}, journal={Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Knollenberg, Whitney and Brune, Sara and Harrison, Jane and Savage, Ann}, year={2019}, month={Apr}, pages={1–19} }