Community agriculture, spaces often run by organizations growing produce sustainably to improve health and food access in their communities (Hanson et al., 2012), is increasingly recognized as valuable for addressing global challenges like food insecurity, climate change, nature deficit, and urban alienation. This collaborative research initiative brings together faculty and students from Duke University and Duke Kunshan University to explore motivations, experiences, narratives, and obstacles associated with campus farms and gardens in China and the United States.
The research builds upon scholarship highlighting the social, ecological, and health benefits of community gardens (McVey et al., 2016; Veen et al., 2015) and draws inspiration from Fields of Learning (2011), which documents the growth and educational value of student farms in North America. By taking an international comparative approach, the project extends this conversation by examining student farms and gardens through three themes: 1) climate change pedagogy, 2) closing social gaps widened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and 3) community development strategies amid political polarization and growing economic inequality. The initiative is led by Dr. Saskia Cornes (Duke Franklin Humanities Institute, Duke Campus Farm) and Dr. Annemieke van den Dool (Duke Kunshan University).
Methodologically, the project uses qualitative and interpretive approaches to understand lived experiences and cultural narratives associated with community agriculture. Through field observations and semi-structured interviews at student farms and gardens in both countries, researchers examine motivations, participation barriers, historical context, and the symbolic and social dimensions of community agriculture. Interview data reveals how engagement with the more-than-human world through farming and gardening shapes participants’ sense of self-efficacy, connection to place and each other, how meaning is made from these activities, and what cultural narratives are used. Field visits document physical spaces and organizational structures, complemented by photographic documentation and ethnographic observation.
Project outputs include: a student photo exhibition, a co-authored academic publication comparing motivations and challenges across cultural contexts, presentations at Duke and a workshop at DKU with campus farm leaders from both countries, and course content for classes on food systems, environmental justice, or community-based research. Broader impacts include fostering Duke-DKU collaboration, enriching environmental humanities curriculum, supporting student research, and contributing to global conversations around sustainability, community, and care in the climate crisis era.
