Future of Food: Journal on Food

Urban agriculture: How bottom-up initiatives are impacting space and policies in São Paulo

Eliane Horschutz Nemoto
Department of History, Geography and Antiquity Sciences (DissGea), Università Degli Studi di Padova, Italy
André Ruoppolo Biazoti
Environmental Education and Policy Laboratory (OCA), University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil

The growing demand for the creation of urban gardens in large cities has created a discussion about the need for green spaces in cities that fulfil multiple functions. Beyond the production of fresh and healthy food, these spaces should also connect citizens, transform the public space through collective action, and engage the participation of society in the policies and planning for a greener city with a better quality of life. This paper addresses the case of São Paulo specifically, and illustrates how urban gardens have been boosted in the city through a dynamic process mainly driven by bottom-up initiatives arising at the local scale. These initiatives have been able to advance strategies and policies, including those regarding urban agriculture, in the Municipality’s agenda. The paper also discusses how these urban gardens have created and reinforced social innovation and social capital among the actors, with the common objective of building a more sustainable and democratic city.

Keywords : urban agriculture ,social innovation ,social capital ,bottom-up initiatives .

Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA