Perceived Outcomes of a Community-based Urban Agriculture and Nutrition Education Program: A Case Study of Common Good City Farm’s Green Tomorrows Program in Washington, D.C.

Urban Farm DB summary

A case study of the Common Good City Farm's Green Tomorrows program, a community-based urban agriculture and nutrition education program for residents of Washington, D.C., which aims to increase participants' food security, their ability to grow crops in urban locations, and their knowledge of nutrition, food preparation, and food budgeting. The study sought to understand how effectively the program achieved its intended goals and outcomes through semi-structured interviews with program staff and recent regular participants, in order to (1) identify similarities and differences between staff- and participant-stated program goals, (2) determine key program impacts, and (3) generate programmatic recommendations. Participants reported that the program's food distribution increased their consumption of produce, contributing to improved food security, along with greater knowledge of agricultural methods and healthy eating and an improved ability to prepare and shop for healthy food after completing the program. Overall, the Green Tomorrows program's outcomes aligned with staff and participant expectations and were reported to positively influence participants' food security, nutrition knowledge, food preparation, and food-budgeting skills.