Community Garden Project
Jennifer Sowerwine, Professor
Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed for this project.
In partnership with the Eddie Souza Community Garden in Santa Clara, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) in Santa Clara County is planning to bring community garden managers from around the South Bay together for learning and networking in November 2024. In preparation for this gathering, we would like to survey participants to learn about their gardens (e.g., size, fees, waitlist length) and what they would find most helpful and interesting from a meeting with other community garden leaders. We'll report back the results of the survey to provide a sense for the landscape of community gardening in the region and use the findings to shape the event. We are looking for an intern to help develop, implement, and analyze the survey and would welcome help in planning and running the community gathering as well.
Role: Tasks:
1. Assist with the creation of a survey for community garden managers
2. Distribute the survey to community garden managers and conduct follow-up (via phone and email) as needed
3. Summarize survey results to share with participants
• Learning Outcome: The intern will be able to apply principles of survey development to real-world situations
• Learning Outcome: The intern will be able to analyze and organize survey results to share with community members
4. Assist with the logistics for an event with community garden managers (e.g., help to create the agenda, set up registration, publicize the event, etc.)
• Learning Outcome: The intern will understand the steps for putting on a community educational event and apply them to a gathering for community garden managers.
Qualifications: Potential interns should have an interest in urban agriculture or local food systems. Previous experience with research or community outreach is a plus, but not a requirement. Interns should have good attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to interact respectfully with food system stakeholders and people from different backgrounds.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Lucy Diekmann
Hours: to be negotiated
Off-Campus Research Site: This position is primarily remote/on campus and off campus just for the community educational event in Santa Clara (pending student availability).
Related website: https://www.santaclaraca.gov/our-city/departments-g-z/parks-recreation/community-garden
Environmental Issues