As keeping backyard poultry rises, human contact with zoonotic pathogens will increase. One such pathogen that backyard enthusiasts have exposure risks to is Salmonella spp. which may cause a potential public health threat due to its increasing multidrug resistancy. Salmonella spp. were present in 33 of 50 samples collected from 29 sites with backyard poultry coops in San Luis Obispo County during March to May in 2014. Two different Hardy-CHROME™ Salmonella Selective Media plates were used to culture and isolate positive samples of Salmonella spp.. Each positive isolate was tested for antimicrobial sensitivity to 6 standard antibiotics: Ampicillin, Bacitracin, Erythromycin, Gentamicin, Penicillin, and Tetracycline, at the standard disk concentration levels. The Kirby-Bauer antimicrobial sensitivity test determined that 12 different profiles emerged from the Salmonella spp. isolates. All antimicrobial sensitivity profiles showed multidrug resistance in vitro with only high susceptibility to 2 major antibiotics, Gentamicin at 97% and Ampicillin at 51%. All profiles were resistant to 1 or more of the antimicrobials tested, plus the control. One Salmonella isolated was resistant to all 6 antimicrobials and another isolate to 5. The Salmonella spp. isolates proved multidrug resistance between 73%-100% to the other 4 antibiotics tested. The 24 Salmonella spp. positive sites displayed a lack of proper biosecurity and poultry husbandry practices. The criteria developed for accessing the poultry’s environment ranged from dedicated shoes for cleaning, egg handling, access to other animals and wildlife, number of birds and breeds or species in a coop, cleaning routine, over-all biosecurity and human interactions. Human exposure to Salmonella spp. pathogenic strains could increase due to environmental cross contamination and deficiencies in sanitation. The presence of Salmonella spp. with a diversity of antibiotic resistance serotypes is an important source of zoonotic pathogens for animal and human diseases that has public health risk implications.

12 pp.

Over fifty percent of humans live in cities. The environmental cost of this is massive, as is the potential for utilizing privately held yards as an integral part of conservation in urban areas. The Backyard Habitat Certification Program (BHCP) in Portland, Oregon, was established to reduce invasive plants, support wildlife, and promote conservation. The program involves > 3000 yards certified at three tiers. While onsite inspections are required to verify compliance, there has never been an assessment of the value of these yards to wildlife. Chapter 1 examined the relationships between the urban landscape and bird distributions outside of yards. Chapter 2 evaluated the ability of the program to separate yards by assessing differences in vegetation structure and composition. Chapter 3 tested if avian abundance, richness and diversity in yards are a product of responses to yard or landscape vegetation structure. Avian data was collected at 146 yards and 73 random locations in 2013 and 2014. Public landscape data was used to collect yard data in the field. Avian abundance, richness, and diversity were affected negatively by urbanization (especially impervious surface) and population density, but positively by tree cover. The BHCP was effective at distinguishing platinum yards from others, but overlap was relatively high among gold, silver and uncertified yards. Avian abundance, richness and diversity within yards was less affected by yard vegetation than the structure of habitat in the surrounding landscape. Species responded individualistically to yard vegetation and the urban landscape, and response was a continuum of tolerance to urbanization. Ultimately, the ability of yards to support wildlife will depend on wide scale neighborhood participation.

Urbanization is considered one of the leading threats to biodiversity and wildlife habitat (McKinney 2002; Shochat et al. 2006). Urban environments are humandominated systems, yet they support wildlife habitat and provide meaningful ecological functions. Methods to conserve biodiversity and minimize habitat loss and fragmentation in urban environments include utilizing private residential yards and gardens to enhance habitat connectivity. Private residential yards or gardens designed to attract and support wildlife are known as backyard habitats and wildlife gardens. The City of Austin, Texas initiated Wildlife Austin in 2007. Wildlife Austin coordinates backyard habitats in Austin as a National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat [trademark]. My research analyzes the goals of the Wildlife Austin from the perspective of landscape ecology and urban ecology; reviews research related to backyard habitats in order to identify ways of enhancing habitat connectivity for bird communities; and provides recommendations for a more scientifically grounded approach and management in the promotion of backyard wildlife habitat. / text

The Pampanga province is one of the largest pork-producing provinces in the Philippines. Half of the province's pigs are reared in so-called back-yard farms. At these farms, there are no regulations regarding manure management and because of this, large amounts of manure are dumped close to the stables. These actions lead to spontaneous emission of greenhouse gases, eutrophication of rivers and groundwater pollution. In addition, the spread of manure contributes to inadequate sanitation and increased risks of disease among the inhabitants of the province. LPG and wood are the most popular fuels for cooking in the Philippines. LPG is most common in the cities, while more than 60 percent of the rural population still relies on firewood for cooking. LPG is a fossil fuel that, when burned, contributes to an enhanced greenhouse effect. The use of wood increases the pressure on the local biomass and increases the risk of lung diseases for the user. Anaerobic digestion of pig manure under contributes to a more sustainable manure management. At the same time, energy in form of biogas is produced. Biogas is a renewable energy source, which is considered carbon neutral. If pig manure is co-digested with kitchen waste, a more efficient and stable digestion process may be achieved. This study aims to contribute to sustainable development at backyard pig farms in the Pampanga province by demonstrating how pig manure and kitchen waste can be utilized for biogas production. In order to develop an appropriate composition of pig manure and kitchen waste for anaerobic digestion, batch digestion of pig manure and kitchen waste was performed at laboratory scale. During a field study, the substrate composition was digested in test plants under local conditions in Pampanga. During the field study, several field trips to backyard pig farms were performed. Based on prevailing conditions and available materials in the province, a full-scale biogas digester was designed. The digester was sized to produce enough biogas to fulfil one family’s daily requirement of cooking fuel. If the daily biogas production reaches 2.5 m3 it is possible to replace 178 kg LPG or 9855 kg of firewood every year. The reduction of LPG prevents 2700 kg carbon dioxide equivalents from being emitted to the atmosphere every year. The reduction of LPG use also results in an annual saving of 9062 PHP (1672 SEK) for a family. This number corresponds to 11 procent of the total investment cost of the digester. / Pampangaprovinsen är en av de största producenterna av fläskkött i hela Filippinerna. Hälften av provinsens grisar föds upp på så kallade backayard farms. På dessa gårdar finns inga restriktioner gällande gödselhantering. Därför dumpas stora mängder gödsel i gårdarnas närområde vilket leder till spontana utsläpp av växthusgaser, övergödning i vattendrag och förorenat grundvatten. Dessutom leder spridning av gödslet till försämrad hygien och ökad sjukdomsspridning bland provinsens invånare. Gasol och ved är de mest populära bränslena för matlagning i Filippinerna. Gasol är mest utbrett i städerna medan drygt 60 procent av landsbygdens befolkning fortfarande förlitar sig på ved vid matlagning. Gasol är ett fossilt bränsle som vid förbränning bidrar till en förstärkt växthuseffekt. Användning av ved ökar trycket på den lokala biomassan och vid förbränning är risken för sjukdomar i luftvägarna hos användaren stor. Anaerob rötning av grisgödsel möjliggör en mer hållbar gödselhantering samtidigt som energi i form av biogas produceras. Biogas är en förnyelsebar energikälla som dessutom anses vara koldioxidneutral. Grisgödsel kan med fördel samrötas med matavfall för att uppnå en effektivare och mer stabil rötprocess. Den här studien syftar till att bidra till hållbar utveckling inom Pampangaprovinsens backyard pig farms genom att demonstrera hur grisgödsel tillsammans med matavfall kan användas för biogasproduktion. Under studiens inledande del utfördes satsvis rötning av grisgödsel och matavfall i laborativ skala, i syfte att ta fram en lämplig sammansättning av de båda substraten. Substratsammansättningen rötades därefter i testanläggningar vid lokala förhållanden under en fältstudie i Pampangaprovinsen. Under fältstudien genomfördes även studiebesök till olika backyard pig farms. Baserat på rådande förhållanden och tillgängliga material i provinsen designades slutligen en rötkammare. Rötkammaren dimensionerades så att den kunde förse en familj med bränsle för matlagning. Om den dagliga biogasproduktionen når 2.5 m3 är det möjligt att ersätta 178 kg gasol eller 9855 kg ved per år. Minskningen av gasol resulterar i en årlig reducering av växthusgasutsläpp med minst 2700 kg koldioxidekvivalenter. Minskningen av gasol resulterar också i en årlig besparing på 9062 PHP (1672 SEK). Denna siffra motsvarar 11 procent av den totala investeringskostnaden för rötkammaren.

No description available.

Na trajetória da industrialização da agricultura, a partir de meados da década de 1960 no Brasil, os pequenos agricultores vêm sendo pressionados para aderirem às novas tecnologias e homogeneizar a prática agrícola segundo a necessidade da produção capitalista. A produção em larga escala tem deposto sobre sua insustentabilidade ambiental, social, econômica expondo a população rural a situações de vulnerabilidade que colocam em risco a soberania alimentar e a própria biodiversidade agrícola, uma vez que nos alimentamos de um número cada vez mais reduzido de espécies. Assim, o pequeno agricultor, com o seu modo camponês de fazer agricultura, resiste no espaço de produção buscando a sua crescente autonomia e do seu espaço sócio-produtivo, retroalimentando a base de recursos sociais e naturais, fundamentado no referencial desta pesquisa. O conhecimento que o agricultor adquire na interação com o ambiente no qual está o faz detentor de práticas específicas de acordo com o seu contexto, porém com estratégias comuns para a luta por autonomia. Nesta perspectiva, os quintais, como o espaço ao redor da casa com uma área não muito superior a um hectare e manejados com técnica simples, são agroecossistemas que incluem espécies alimentícias entre árvores, arbustos e produtos da horta, com criação de animais. Este lugar manejado com pouca ou nenhuma utilização de agroquímicos contribui com a segurança alimentar e nutricional das famílias e com a manutenção dos modos e meios de vida, além de incrementar a biodiversidade. Os saberes e práticas dos agricultores resultam na agrobiodiversidade que retroalimenta o agroecossitema do quintal, no qual expressam a luta constante por autonomia com diferentes ênfases. Integrando as noções de “ator” e “agência”, apresentadas pela Perspectiva Orientada ao Ator, consideramos que, através da prática cotidiana, os atores ampliam suas capacidades de ação e influenciam os processos de mudança social, materializando a condição camponesa através do modo camponês de fazer agricultura, demonstrando as possibilidades para um desenvolvimento rural sustentável. O arcabouço teórico define, ainda, a agrobiodiversidade e a percepção, com ênfase na construção do lugar, objetivando evidenciar as percepções dos atores sobre o seu quintal e a influência na agrobiodiversidade, bem como as funções sociais, econômicas e ambientais que surgem através da interação do agricultor com o lugar que cultiva e maneja, considerando o quintal como um espaço de expressão da luta por autonomia camponesa. Usando a observação participante como metodologia de pesquisa qualitativa, foram gravadas nove entrevistas semi-estruturadas com agricultores que manejam quintais, incluindo registros fotográficos e anotações em diário de campo em seis propriedades durante o ano de 2010. A análise do conteúdo das entrevistas resultou em 2 grupos perceptivos, 15 descritores de funções e 335 variedades de plantas citadas com, pelo menos, 17 usos diferentes. Nestas áreas, os atores apreendem os conhecimentos e os praticam, o que proporciona ao agricultor a segurança no lugar que constrói na medida em que se distancia da dependência externa e fortalece as capacidades internas, através da co-produção que retroalimenta a base de recursos, seja da unidade familiar, da comunidade local ou de uma região. / In the path of agricultural industrialization, since the mid-1960s Brazilian, small farmers are being pressed to adhere to new technologies and standardize the agricultural practices to meet the needs of capitalist production. The large-scale production has made statements on their environmental, social and economic unsustainability exposing rural people to situations of vulnerability, which threaten even food sovereignty and the agricultural biodiversity itself, as we feed ourselves with an increasingly reduced number of species. In this context, small farmers and their peasant‟s way of making agriculture, resist in the production space. This peasant‟s way is related to the growing autonomy of farmers and their social-productive space, feeding back the social and natural resources base, theoretically grounded in this research. The knowledge farmers acquire within the interaction with their own environment entitles them to specific practices according to their context, however with strategie common in the struggle for autonomy. In this perspective, the backyards, as those spaces around the house with a small area not much larger than one hectare, and managed by means of simple techniques, are agroecosystems including edible species, such as trees, shrubs and garden produce, where animal breeding is also usually present. This place cultivated and managed using few agrochemicals if any contributes to food and nutritional safety of families, to keep living ways and means, also enhancing natural biodiversity. Farmers‟ knowledge and practices result in the agrobiodiversity feeding the backyard agroecosystem, where farmers express the ongoing struggle for autonomy with different stresses. Integrating the concepts of "actor" and "agency" presented by the Actor-Oriented Perspective, we believe that through their daily practices, actors expand their action capacity, influencing social change processes, materializing the peasant‟s condition in their peasant‟s way of making agriculture, so demonstrating the possibilities for a rural and sustainable development. The theoretical grounds also define agrobiodiversity and perception, emphasizing the place construction, aiming at highlighting the actors‟ perceptions on their backyard and the influence on agrobiodiversity, as well as the social, economical, and environmental functions arising from the interaction between the farmers and the place they cultivate and manage, considering the backyard as a space of expression of the peasant‟s struggle for autonomy. Using participant observation as the qualitative methodology, nine semi-structured interviews with farmers who manage backyards were tape-recorded, including photographs and field journal notes at six properties during 2010. Interviews content analysis brought two perceptive groups, 15 function descriptors; 335 varieties of plants were mentioned having at least 17 different uses. In these areas, the actors get knowledge and put it in practice; thus farmers are provided with safety at the place they build, as they move away from the external dependency and strengthen the internal capacities through the co-production that feeds the family, the local community or the regional resources base.

Na trajetória da industrialização da agricultura, a partir de meados da década de 1960 no Brasil, os pequenos agricultores vêm sendo pressionados para aderirem às novas tecnologias e homogeneizar a prática agrícola segundo a necessidade da produção capitalista. A produção em larga escala tem deposto sobre sua insustentabilidade ambiental, social, econômica expondo a população rural a situações de vulnerabilidade que colocam em risco a soberania alimentar e a própria biodiversidade agrícola, uma vez que nos alimentamos de um número cada vez mais reduzido de espécies. Assim, o pequeno agricultor, com o seu modo camponês de fazer agricultura, resiste no espaço de produção buscando a sua crescente autonomia e do seu espaço sócio-produtivo, retroalimentando a base de recursos sociais e naturais, fundamentado no referencial desta pesquisa. O conhecimento que o agricultor adquire na interação com o ambiente no qual está o faz detentor de práticas específicas de acordo com o seu contexto, porém com estratégias comuns para a luta por autonomia. Nesta perspectiva, os quintais, como o espaço ao redor da casa com uma área não muito superior a um hectare e manejados com técnica simples, são agroecossistemas que incluem espécies alimentícias entre árvores, arbustos e produtos da horta, com criação de animais. Este lugar manejado com pouca ou nenhuma utilização de agroquímicos contribui com a segurança alimentar e nutricional das famílias e com a manutenção dos modos e meios de vida, além de incrementar a biodiversidade. Os saberes e práticas dos agricultores resultam na agrobiodiversidade que retroalimenta o agroecossitema do quintal, no qual expressam a luta constante por autonomia com diferentes ênfases. Integrando as noções de “ator” e “agência”, apresentadas pela Perspectiva Orientada ao Ator, consideramos que, através da prática cotidiana, os atores ampliam suas capacidades de ação e influenciam os processos de mudança social, materializando a condição camponesa através do modo camponês de fazer agricultura, demonstrando as possibilidades para um desenvolvimento rural sustentável. O arcabouço teórico define, ainda, a agrobiodiversidade e a percepção, com ênfase na construção do lugar, objetivando evidenciar as percepções dos atores sobre o seu quintal e a influência na agrobiodiversidade, bem como as funções sociais, econômicas e ambientais que surgem através da interação do agricultor com o lugar que cultiva e maneja, considerando o quintal como um espaço de expressão da luta por autonomia camponesa. Usando a observação participante como metodologia de pesquisa qualitativa, foram gravadas nove entrevistas semi-estruturadas com agricultores que manejam quintais, incluindo registros fotográficos e anotações em diário de campo em seis propriedades durante o ano de 2010. A análise do conteúdo das entrevistas resultou em 2 grupos perceptivos, 15 descritores de funções e 335 variedades de plantas citadas com, pelo menos, 17 usos diferentes. Nestas áreas, os atores apreendem os conhecimentos e os praticam, o que proporciona ao agricultor a segurança no lugar que constrói na medida em que se distancia da dependência externa e fortalece as capacidades internas, através da co-produção que retroalimenta a base de recursos, seja da unidade familiar, da comunidade local ou de uma região. / In the path of agricultural industrialization, since the mid-1960s Brazilian, small farmers are being pressed to adhere to new technologies and standardize the agricultural practices to meet the needs of capitalist production. The large-scale production has made statements on their environmental, social and economic unsustainability exposing rural people to situations of vulnerability, which threaten even food sovereignty and the agricultural biodiversity itself, as we feed ourselves with an increasingly reduced number of species. In this context, small farmers and their peasant‟s way of making agriculture, resist in the production space. This peasant‟s way is related to the growing autonomy of farmers and their social-productive space, feeding back the social and natural resources base, theoretically grounded in this research. The knowledge farmers acquire within the interaction with their own environment entitles them to specific practices according to their context, however with strategie common in the struggle for autonomy. In this perspective, the backyards, as those spaces around the house with a small area not much larger than one hectare, and managed by means of simple techniques, are agroecosystems including edible species, such as trees, shrubs and garden produce, where animal breeding is also usually present. This place cultivated and managed using few agrochemicals if any contributes to food and nutritional safety of families, to keep living ways and means, also enhancing natural biodiversity. Farmers‟ knowledge and practices result in the agrobiodiversity feeding the backyard agroecosystem, where farmers express the ongoing struggle for autonomy with different stresses. Integrating the concepts of "actor" and "agency" presented by the Actor-Oriented Perspective, we believe that through their daily practices, actors expand their action capacity, influencing social change processes, materializing the peasant‟s condition in their peasant‟s way of making agriculture, so demonstrating the possibilities for a rural and sustainable development. The theoretical grounds also define agrobiodiversity and perception, emphasizing the place construction, aiming at highlighting the actors‟ perceptions on their backyard and the influence on agrobiodiversity, as well as the social, economical, and environmental functions arising from the interaction between the farmers and the place they cultivate and manage, considering the backyard as a space of expression of the peasant‟s struggle for autonomy. Using participant observation as the qualitative methodology, nine semi-structured interviews with farmers who manage backyards were tape-recorded, including photographs and field journal notes at six properties during 2010. Interviews content analysis brought two perceptive groups, 15 function descriptors; 335 varieties of plants were mentioned having at least 17 different uses. In these areas, the actors get knowledge and put it in practice; thus farmers are provided with safety at the place they build, as they move away from the external dependency and strengthen the internal capacities through the co-production that feeds the family, the local community or the regional resources base.

Na trajetória da industrialização da agricultura, a partir de meados da década de 1960 no Brasil, os pequenos agricultores vêm sendo pressionados para aderirem às novas tecnologias e homogeneizar a prática agrícola segundo a necessidade da produção capitalista. A produção em larga escala tem deposto sobre sua insustentabilidade ambiental, social, econômica expondo a população rural a situações de vulnerabilidade que colocam em risco a soberania alimentar e a própria biodiversidade agrícola, uma vez que nos alimentamos de um número cada vez mais reduzido de espécies. Assim, o pequeno agricultor, com o seu modo camponês de fazer agricultura, resiste no espaço de produção buscando a sua crescente autonomia e do seu espaço sócio-produtivo, retroalimentando a base de recursos sociais e naturais, fundamentado no referencial desta pesquisa. O conhecimento que o agricultor adquire na interação com o ambiente no qual está o faz detentor de práticas específicas de acordo com o seu contexto, porém com estratégias comuns para a luta por autonomia. Nesta perspectiva, os quintais, como o espaço ao redor da casa com uma área não muito superior a um hectare e manejados com técnica simples, são agroecossistemas que incluem espécies alimentícias entre árvores, arbustos e produtos da horta, com criação de animais. Este lugar manejado com pouca ou nenhuma utilização de agroquímicos contribui com a segurança alimentar e nutricional das famílias e com a manutenção dos modos e meios de vida, além de incrementar a biodiversidade. Os saberes e práticas dos agricultores resultam na agrobiodiversidade que retroalimenta o agroecossitema do quintal, no qual expressam a luta constante por autonomia com diferentes ênfases. Integrando as noções de “ator” e “agência”, apresentadas pela Perspectiva Orientada ao Ator, consideramos que, através da prática cotidiana, os atores ampliam suas capacidades de ação e influenciam os processos de mudança social, materializando a condição camponesa através do modo camponês de fazer agricultura, demonstrando as possibilidades para um desenvolvimento rural sustentável. O arcabouço teórico define, ainda, a agrobiodiversidade e a percepção, com ênfase na construção do lugar, objetivando evidenciar as percepções dos atores sobre o seu quintal e a influência na agrobiodiversidade, bem como as funções sociais, econômicas e ambientais que surgem através da interação do agricultor com o lugar que cultiva e maneja, considerando o quintal como um espaço de expressão da luta por autonomia camponesa. Usando a observação participante como metodologia de pesquisa qualitativa, foram gravadas nove entrevistas semi-estruturadas com agricultores que manejam quintais, incluindo registros fotográficos e anotações em diário de campo em seis propriedades durante o ano de 2010. A análise do conteúdo das entrevistas resultou em 2 grupos perceptivos, 15 descritores de funções e 335 variedades de plantas citadas com, pelo menos, 17 usos diferentes. Nestas áreas, os atores apreendem os conhecimentos e os praticam, o que proporciona ao agricultor a segurança no lugar que constrói na medida em que se distancia da dependência externa e fortalece as capacidades internas, através da co-produção que retroalimenta a base de recursos, seja da unidade familiar, da comunidade local ou de uma região. / In the path of agricultural industrialization, since the mid-1960s Brazilian, small farmers are being pressed to adhere to new technologies and standardize the agricultural practices to meet the needs of capitalist production. The large-scale production has made statements on their environmental, social and economic unsustainability exposing rural people to situations of vulnerability, which threaten even food sovereignty and the agricultural biodiversity itself, as we feed ourselves with an increasingly reduced number of species. In this context, small farmers and their peasant‟s way of making agriculture, resist in the production space. This peasant‟s way is related to the growing autonomy of farmers and their social-productive space, feeding back the social and natural resources base, theoretically grounded in this research. The knowledge farmers acquire within the interaction with their own environment entitles them to specific practices according to their context, however with strategie common in the struggle for autonomy. In this perspective, the backyards, as those spaces around the house with a small area not much larger than one hectare, and managed by means of simple techniques, are agroecosystems including edible species, such as trees, shrubs and garden produce, where animal breeding is also usually present. This place cultivated and managed using few agrochemicals if any contributes to food and nutritional safety of families, to keep living ways and means, also enhancing natural biodiversity. Farmers‟ knowledge and practices result in the agrobiodiversity feeding the backyard agroecosystem, where farmers express the ongoing struggle for autonomy with different stresses. Integrating the concepts of "actor" and "agency" presented by the Actor-Oriented Perspective, we believe that through their daily practices, actors expand their action capacity, influencing social change processes, materializing the peasant‟s condition in their peasant‟s way of making agriculture, so demonstrating the possibilities for a rural and sustainable development. The theoretical grounds also define agrobiodiversity and perception, emphasizing the place construction, aiming at highlighting the actors‟ perceptions on their backyard and the influence on agrobiodiversity, as well as the social, economical, and environmental functions arising from the interaction between the farmers and the place they cultivate and manage, considering the backyard as a space of expression of the peasant‟s struggle for autonomy. Using participant observation as the qualitative methodology, nine semi-structured interviews with farmers who manage backyards were tape-recorded, including photographs and field journal notes at six properties during 2010. Interviews content analysis brought two perceptive groups, 15 function descriptors; 335 varieties of plants were mentioned having at least 17 different uses. In these areas, the actors get knowledge and put it in practice; thus farmers are provided with safety at the place they build, as they move away from the external dependency and strengthen the internal capacities through the co-production that feeds the family, the local community or the regional resources base.

As cities grew throughout the past century, the availability of locally grown food declined, mostly because urban expansion occurred at the expense of adjacent agricultural land. As a result, city dwellers turned to commercial food market systems that import food from distant production areas. Private greenspace, which is one of the largest land cover types in cities, offers the potential for substantial agricultural production. Because urban food production on private land, such as backyards, requires the willing participation of landowners, resident's feelings about and experience with food growing are important to understand. The demographic groups that were most likely to food garden were those in long-term relationships, higher income brackets, those with college education and residents over 50 years old. Incentives and programs focused on producing more from existing gardens may be most appropriate for people in these demographic groups, while other groups will most require basic food growing information. Study participants highly valued intangible benefits of food gardening (e.g., relaxation, feelings of happiness and satisfaction), often more than the provision of food. Most barriers and problems with backyard food growing, such as a lack of space and the need for gardening information, were similar for those who food garden and those who do not. Results from this study indicate that traditional agricultural incentives and perspectives must be rethought if they are to be applied in urban settings. By creating incentives and initiatives that reflect the needs and challenges faced by urban growers, urban agriculture will become an integrated part of the community, improving food quantity and quality while enriching residents' lives. / by John G. Zahina-Ramos. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.