NSF Convergence Accelerator Track J: Food EducatioN for Nutritional security and Empowerment in Local communities (FENNEL)

寻找食品和营养安全的可持续解决方案是非常具有挑战性的，因为阿肯色州各个社区缺乏食物的原因差别很大。该项目由位于派恩布拉夫的阿肯色大学（UAPB）领导，该大学位于阿肯色州东南部，是一个农业社区，但由于贫困和社会经济因素不佳，矛盾的是，它是一个食物沙漠。作为一所历史悠久的黑人学院/大学（HBCU）和1890年的赠地机构，UAPB有能力记录当地社区面临的具体挑战，并确定政府、非营利组织和私营部门的利益相关者，共同制定可持续的解决方案。该项目包括一系列强有力的活动，通过教育和量身定制的外联方法，使当地社区参与解决营养不安全问题，以满足社区需求。以教育为基础的干预措施的有效性，包括在城市农业中展示新的烹饪和保存我们农场养殖的新鲜农产品的方法，以及与愿意参与食谱开发的当地餐馆建立联系，测试和提供更健康的菜单选择，这些都将得到检验。结果将作为案例研究呈现给其他高等教育机构和利益相关者，他们可以采用这种以社区为中心的数据驱动方法，为自己的社区制定可持续的解决方案。在服务不足和边缘化的社区，粮食和营养安全的可持续解决办法一直难以捉摸，因为社区特有的挑战和当地消费者对健康食品消费的行为没有得到很好的记录。位于派恩布拉夫的阿肯色大学位于农村农业地区，那里世代贫困，社会经济和健康状况不佳。与密西西比河东岸相似的人口相比，该地区的研究机构对该地区的服务也不足，发表的公共卫生研究很少。将制定以用户为中心的方法，让当地社区参与记录粮食和营养安全的障碍，确定利益攸关方，汇集专业知识，共同制定可持续和文化上可接受的解决方案。在第一阶段，调查数据将在阿肯色州东南部进行以教育为基础的试点干预之前和之后收集，目标人群是大学生、当地食品企业和普通公众。结果将汇编成案例研究，向其他州的农业推广办公室传播这种参与模式，以推广一种制定适合文化的解决方案的方法。这种方法被命名为促进当地社区营养安全和赋权的粮食教育（FENNEL）。外展活动和参与跨学科研究机会将改善STEM领域少数族裔学生的招聘和保留，并加强美国劳动力的竞争力。针对一般公众的活动将改善服务不足和少数群体社区的保健知识和福祉。社会处境不利的农民将受益于健康状况的改善，从而提高生产力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Finding sustainable solutions for food and nutrition security is very challenging because the reasons behind the lack of access to food vary greatly between communities in Arkansas. The project is being led by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), which is located in southeastern Arkansas, an agricultural community but paradoxically a food desert because of poverty and poor socioeconomic factors. As a historically black college/university (HBCU) and 1890 land grant institution, UAPB is well-positioned to document the specific challenges of the local community and identify government, non-profit and private sector stakeholders to converge and develop sustainable solutions. The project involves a robust set of activities to engage local communities in addressing nutritional insecurity through educational and outreach tailored approach to address the community needs. The effectiveness of education-based interventions, including demonstrations in urban farming followed by novel methods of cooking and preserving our farm raised fresh produce, and connecting with local restaurants that are willing to participate in recipe development, testing and serving of healthier menu options will be tested. Results will be presented as case studies to other institutions of higher education and stakeholders, who can adopt this community-centered data-driven approach to develop sustainable solutions for their own communities. Sustainable solutions to food and nutrition security have been elusive in under-served and marginalized communities, because community-specific challenges and local consumer behaviors towards consumption of healthy food is not well documented. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is located in a rural agricultural region, where generational poverty and poor socioeconomic and health outcomes are prevalent. The region is also underserved by the research community with very little published public-health research when compared to similar populations on the eastern side of the Mississippi River. A user-centered methodology will be developed to engage the local community to document barriers to food and nutritional security, identify stakeholders and converge expertise to jointly develop sustainable and culturally acceptable solutions. In Phase 1, survey data will be collected before and after conducting pilot-scale education-based interventions in southeastern Arkansas aimed at college students, local food businesses and the general public. Results will be compiled into case studies to disseminate this model of engagement to agriculture Extension Offices in other states to scale a method for developing culturally appropriate solutions. This approach is named Food EducatioN for Nutritional security and Empowerment in Local communities (FENNEL). Outreach activities and participation in interdisciplinary research opportunities will improve recruitment and retention of minority students in STEM fields and strengthen competitiveness of the US workforce. Activities aimed at the general public will improve health literacy and well-being amongst underserved and minority communities. Socially disadvantaged farmers will benefit from improved health outcomes leading to better productivity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.