Evaluating the Benefits of a SNAP-Ed-Funded Community Garden Intervention Using Ripple Effect Mapping

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110580
Author(s):  
Claire Sadeghzadeh ◽  
Brett Sheppard ◽  
Juliana de Groot ◽  
Molly De Marco
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Complex Interventions ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Community Capitals ◽  
Community Capitals Framework ◽  
Effective Community ◽  
The Impact

In North Carolina, rural communities experience high rates of chronic illness due to health inequities exacerbated by the decline of major industries. Community gardens increase access to fresh produce and opportunities for physical activity and may offer additional benefits. These benefits can be difficult to measure as they are often unplanned or unintended. This article describes how we utilized Ripple Effect Mapping (REM), a participatory approach for evaluating complex interventions, to understand the impact of a SNAP-Ed-funded program. We purposively selected six community gardens to participate in 2-hour, facilitated REM sessions. On average, 15 people participated in each session. Participants developed a map of benefits using Appreciative Inquiry, mind mapping, and consensus-building methods. The map organized benefits across three levels: first ripple (individual), second ripple (interpersonal), and third ripple (community). In addition, participants coded benefits using the Community Capitals Framework. After the sessions, the research team extracted identified impacts into a matrix, aligned them with the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, and developed digitized maps. These data corroborated findings from previous evaluations and offered insight into community-identified benefits not previously documented, including other types of capital generated by community gardens in rural communities. In addition, REM was an effective approach to measure and report several SNAP-Ed evaluation indicators, including LT11: Unexpected Benefits. Ultimately, the research team found REM to be an effective community-engaged method for understanding a complex intervention’s benefits while centering participant community voices and transferring ownership of the data to community partners, a key principle in equitable evaluation.

scholarly journals The Case of Cooperstown, New York: The Makings of a Perfect Village in an Urbanising World

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-32
Author(s):  
Gregory Fulkerson ◽  
Elizabeth Seale
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Economic Restructuring ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Community Capitals ◽  
Community Capitals Framework ◽  
The Impact

In this paper we examine the question of how rural communities adapt to global processes of urbanisation and economic restructuring. We do this through a visual and historical case study analysis of Cooperstown, New York. This location is selected because it is a self-proclaimed ‘perfect village’ and by many counts a successful tourist destination. The impact on this community is examined using theoretical concepts that include urbanormativity, rural representations, rural simulacra, and the community capitals framework. We conclude that rural communities may risk sacrificing local qualities in order to appeal to externally imposed urban expectations for a rural experience.

scholarly journals Families and Collective Futures: Developing a Program Logic Model for Arts-Based Psychosocial Practice With South African Rural Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Havsteen-Franklin ◽  
Marlize Swanepoel ◽  
Jesika Jones ◽  
Uné Conradie
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
South African ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Logic Model ◽  
Program Logic ◽  
Farming Communities ◽  
Practice Elements ◽  
Effective Community ◽  
Program Logic Model ◽  
The Impact

Aim: This aim of this study is to describe the development of a program logic model to guide arts-based psychosocial practice delivered in rural South African farming communities affected by transgenerational traumas.Background: The rationale for developing a program logic model for arts-based psychosocial practice in South Africa was based on the lack of evidence for effective community arts-based psychosocial interventions for collective trauma, unknown consensus about best practices and the need for developing cogent collective psychosocial practices. Further to this, the aims and benefits of the practice required clarity given the psychosocial complexity of the environment within which the practices for this population are being offered. The logic model offers a valuable resource for practitioners, participants and funders to understand the problem being addressed, how practice is defined, as well as the impact of practice and on intermediate and longer term goals.Methods: The authors used a systematic iterative approach to describe the operationalization of arts-based psychosocial practice. This resulted in the design of the logic model being informed by data from focus groups, an overview of the literature regarding transgerenational trauma in this population, operational policies and organizational documents. The development of the logic model involved actively investigating with practitioners their work with remote farming communities. We thematised practitioners practice constructs to identify salient practice elements and their relationship to perceived benefits and lastly feedback from practitioners and participants following implementation to make adjustments to the logic model.Results: The results were clearly identified in the form of visual mapping using the design of a program logic model. The logic model was divided into 5 parts and was verified by practitioners following implementation. The parts of the program logic model are (Part 1) main presenting problem, (Part 2) operational processes, (Part 3) practice elements, (Part 4) benefits, and impact and (Part 5) review.

scholarly journals Examining Extension-Supported Rural Community Coalitions During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Catherine Jones ◽  
Abigail Borron ◽  
Alexa Lamm ◽  
Catherine Dobbins ◽  
Ellen Farmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Extension Education ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Coalition ◽  
Community Capitals ◽  
Community Capitals Framework ◽  
Community Resiliency ◽  
The Face

Key informant interviews with extension-supported community coalition members in five rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic were used to examine the unique characteristics of rural community resiliency in the face of a crisis based on the community capitals framework. Using a thematic analysis, seven different human and material capitals were examined in community members’ reactions to a “black swan” event. Rural community coalition members shared their perspectives on the vitality of their community in the face of adversity which revealed obstacles extension professionals can support through community development efforts focused on building resiliency. The analysis identified three emergent themes: (1) juxtaposing restrictions and uncertainties with unexpected successes; (2) demonstrating resiliency through connectedness; and (3) correlating community health with changing perceptions of COVID-19. Additionally, each theme was juxtaposed with the interplay of community capitals as they related to coalition efforts in a pandemic that can assist if further developing health communication and extension education efforts within rural communities across the globe in times of crisis. Keywords: rural; resiliency; Community Capitals Framework; health communication; COVID-19

Biofuels in an Age of Cheap Oil: Community Capitals and Motivations to Participate in Biodiesel Value Chains

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Jakubek ◽  
Cornelia Butler Flora
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Markets ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Community Capitals ◽  
Community Capital ◽  
Community Capitals Framework ◽  
Participation Decisions

In this article we analyze the community capital implications of an emerging canola biofuel value chain within wheat-producing regions of the United States as radical changes are taking place in energy markets and prices drop. We analyze the intersections of the motivations that encourage and sustain value chain participation and stocks and investments of community capitals. We use the Community Capitals Framework (Flora et al. 2016) to analyze the ways that new biofuel value chains affect various types of capital within rural communities, and to understand the context, processes, and impacts of decision-making within the biofuel value chain. Interviews and focus groups with actors along the value chain including farmers, processors, transporters, plant breeders, extension professionals, and farm service suppliers identify motivational factors and how community resources affect participation decisions.

scholarly journals The Louisiana Healthy Communities Initiative: A Community-Participatory Model for Obesity Prevention

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 196-196
Author(s):  
Matthew Greene ◽  
Jessica Stroope ◽  
Denise Holston
Keyword(s):  
Obesity Prevention ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Innovative Strategy ◽  
Healthy Communities ◽  
Community Capitals ◽  
Community Capitals Framework

Abstract Objectives Louisiana ranks 4th among US states for adult obesity, and 5th highest for physical inactivity. The Healthy Communities Initiative is a novel effort led by Cooperative Extension (CE) and SNAP-Ed staff in Louisiana to change the policy, systems, and environment (PSE) in target communities to encourage increased physical activity and healthier eating behaviors. The objective of this qualitative study was to identify community members’ perceived impacts of the Healthy Communities Initiative on their community according to the Community Capitals Framework using ripple effect mapping. Methods Local CE staff hold community forums where residents identify and prioritize strategies for PSE changes, then recruit community coalition members to collectively address needs identified at the forum. PSE strategies are different for each community targeted, with short-term impacts most effectively evaluated using qualitative methods. Ripple effect mapping is a community participatory qualitative evaluation method which allows evaluators to capture the effects of innovative interventions. Evaluators facilitate a focus group session in which community members create a map of the multiple impacts of an intervention according to the constructs of the Community Capitals Framework. We held a ripple effect mapping session with 15 participants in one Healthy Communities coalition to evaluate their progress after one year of PSE change work. Results Community members identified program impacts in each of the constructs of the community capitals framework. Participants most often identified program impacts that were improvements to the community's political capital, such as an improved ability to advocate for change. Participants identified the most impactful outcomes of the program, which included an increased awareness of inequity in the community, increased access to fresh produce for community members, and making connections with agencies and organizations which stretched across organizations’ “silos.” Conclusions The Louisiana Healthy Communities Initiative is an innovative strategy to encourage the adoption of PSE changes for obesity prevention. Ripple effect mapping proved to be an effective method for assessing community members’ perceptions of program impacts. Funding Sources SNAP-Ed.

scholarly journals Implementation evaluation of multiple complex early years interventions: an evaluation framework and study protocol

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e000479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nimarta Dharni ◽  
Josie Dickerson ◽  
Kathryn Willan ◽  
Sara Ahern ◽  
Abigail Dunn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Complex Interventions ◽  
Theoretical Domains Framework ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Implementation Quality ◽  
Implementation Evaluation ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionImplementation evaluations are integral to understanding whether, how and why interventions work. However, unpicking the mechanisms of complex interventions is often challenging in usual service settings where multiple services are delivered concurrently. Furthermore, many locally developed and/or adapted interventions have not undergone any evaluation, thus limiting the evidence base available. Born in Bradford’s Better Start cohort is evaluating the impact of multiple early life interventions being delivered as part of the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘A Better Start’ programme to improve the health and well-being of children living in one of the most socially and ethnically diverse areas of the UK. In this paper, we outline our evaluation framework and protocol for embedding pragmatic implementation evaluation across multiple early years interventions and services.Methods and analysisThe evaluation framework is based on a modified version of The Conceptual Framework for Implementation Fidelity. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, our evaluation framework incorporates semistructured interviews, focus groups, routinely collected data and questionnaires. We will explore factors related to content, delivery and reach of interventions at both individual and wider community levels. Potential moderating factors impacting intervention success such as participants’ satisfaction, strategies to facilitate implementation, quality of delivery and context will also be examined. Interview and focus guides will be based on the Theoretical Domains Framework to further explore the barriers and facilitators of implementation. Descriptive statistics will be employed to analyse the routinely collected quantitative data and thematic analysis will be used to analyse qualitative data.Ethics and disseminationThe Health Research Authority (HRA) has confirmed our implementation evaluations do not require review by an NHS Research Ethics Committee (HRA decision 60/88/81). Findings will be shared widely to aid commissioning decisions and will also be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, summary reports, conferences and community newsletters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document