Connecting with Fresh Start Farm Teams in Manchester at a Cultural Festival and Farmer’s Market Event

 Cindy (Luyue) Zheng, PhD Student

My project will explore the interactions between food environments and the dietary practices of immigrants in the northeastern region of the U.S. Given the rising number of immigrants and refugees coming to the U.S., I argue that there is a crucial need to learn about immigrants’ dietary practices and their food environments, particularly in the understudied space of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) such as community gardens. Informed by conversations with immigrant farmers and community leaders, this project will explore alternative narratives of AFNs, and center on the experiences and perspectives of immigrant communities. Using a mixed-method approach, the project aims to leverage both public health and the agriculture sector by providing policy recommendations for improving food access and strengthening AFNs for rural economic development.