Community Development
Available Languages:
English
Narrower Topics
Local Food Systems
Local food systems are collaborative efforts that integrate food production, processing, marketing/distribution and consumption within a given geographical area, place or community. Local food systems may also be characterized by certain market and non-market distribution channels: farm direct marketing channels including farmer's markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), farm-to-institution programs; community and home gardening; and gleaning programs.
UF/IFAS Extension Initiative 4: Sustainable Communities
Currently, our clientele come from a continuum of communities ranging from rural to metropolitan areas. Rapid growth in population centers has resulted in loss of land available for agriculture and natural resources. In order to create a balance between population centers, agricultural land and natural areas, Extension must help to plan and maintain sustainable urban and suburban communities.
Publications
Building Coalitions: Structure
Muthusami Kumaran andLisa A. Guion
The people or groups recruited into the coalition, the support for and where this support comes from in the community, and the design form the structure of the coalition. These need to be planned with purpose so the coalition can be a successful venture.
Social and Community Benefits and Limitations of Urban Agriculture
Alicia Papanek, Catherine G. Campbell, and Hannah Eason
This publication provides an overview of the benefits of urban food production, along with potential challenges that can limit the success of these operations.
Facilitating Community Change: Lessons from Climate Adaptation to Guide Extension Engagement
Martha C. Monroe, Annie Oxarart, Thomas Ruppert, andLibby Carnahan
Other Contacts: Holly Abeels, Wendy-Lin Bartels, andAlicia A. Betancourt
This publication provides Extension faculty in Florida with useful strategies to help communities understand, discuss, evaluate, and recommend potential solutions to current and future problems. While much of the research behind these strategies has been conducted in the context of climate adaptations in vulnerable communities and ecosystems, such as coastal fisheries, rainfed agriculture, and floodplain cities, the principles that underlie these processes are universal. The same strategies and guidelines can be tailored for any issue that requires the public to become more informed, generate options, and understand advantages and disadvantages of various choices. In these situations, Extension agents can facilitate a process of thoughtful deliberation to help communities find common ground and move toward finding solutions.
International Volunteering: #2 Community Development through a Social Change Lens
Renzo Ceme, Pablo Lamino, Sebastian Galindo, andSarah A. Bush
This is the second publication in the International Volunteering series, which aims to provide valuable insights into how volunteerism can improve community development in international settings by understanding factors that influence social change. Written by Renzo Ceme, Pablo Lamino, Sebastian Galindo, and Sarah A. Bush, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2026.