Sara Shostak, Brandeis University, worked with Groundwork Somerville in Somerville, MA, to research local farmers’ markets. ASA asked Shostak about her work:
What is the mission of Groundwork? Groundwork Somerville strives to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the physical environment through the development of community-based partnerships which empower people, businesses, and organizations to promote environmental, economic, and social well-being.
Can you describe your involvement with this project? We conducted an evaluation of the Somerville Mobile Farmers’ Market (SMFM), which was oriented to the following sets of questions: 1) Who is shopping at the SMFM? Where do they live? Where else do they shop?; 2) From the perspectives of customers, in what ways is the SMFM succeeding? In what ways could the SMFM be improved?; 3) What lessons can be learned from the SMFM in regard to efforts to increase food access and food justice?
What sociological knowledge and/or skills did you use? This project drew on my research methods skills and my knowledge regarding food access, food justice, and public health.
How did you connect with Groundwork Somerville? I connected with this organization by attending local events, including my neighborhood farmers’ market. In subsequent conversations, I offered to help them with any research needs, which gave rise to this project.
Duration of the project? Eight months.
Is there anything else you would like to share about this work? The results of this project were published in an edited volume. See: Shostak, S., Blum, J., Mancini, C., Oliviera, L., Robinson, L., and E. Satin-Hernandez. 2017. “From Food Access to Food Justice: A Case Study of the Somerville Mobile Farmers’ Market.” In Feeding Cities: Improving Local Food Access, Security, and Sovereignty. Edited by Christopher Bosso. New York: Routledge.
