The Role of Agricultural Systems in Teaching Kitchens: An Integrative Review and Thoughts for the Future

Urban Farm DB summary

An integrative review examines the potential role of teaching kitchens operated in collaboration with local agriculture — including farms, community gardens, vertical farms, and urban agriculture — against the backdrop of diet-related chronic disease in the United States. The paper reviews the current state of agricultural systems, the food-is-medicine concept, consumer behavior, and the roles of each sector, followed by case studies illustrating how gaps between teaching kitchens and agriculture programs have been addressed. It summarizes opportunities for combining teaching-kitchen and agriculture-program knowledge and resources, along with challenges that may arise.