This thesis addresses the deep-rooted systemic issue of food justice, through the development of a Food Security & Sustainability Hub in Northampton, Massachusetts. As part of the thesis process, I initiated engagement with local stakeholders and organizations using established practices of public interest design. This included a series of meetings and site visits with the leaders of a nonprofit social justice farm in Northampton, MA. These conversations shaped the project scope and design. In doing so, the thesis project tested ideas about social process and the overarching role of discourse in design. My hope is that through thoughtful analysis and engagement through the lens of a real project, I can contribute to this ongoing conversation and inform future pursuits.

This thesis explores Pioneer Valley farmers and their agricultural practices, knowledge and resources as they relate to climate change. Adaptive capacity is used throughout scientific literature, and often includes numerous components; for this thesis the measurement of farmers’ adaptive capacity would be assessed according to only three components: knowledge, past experiences and use of resources. Climate change and its impacts on agriculture have been studied but what is unclear is how prepared farmers are to deal with these impacts. Through literature review, survey development and recorded interviews, data was then analyzed both for quantitative and qualitative results to understand farmer’s adaptive capacity. Most Pioneer Valley farmers realized changes to their farming practices over 5 to 10 years but were not in consensus of the cause and if this could just be due to climate change. Despite belief in climate change, most were willing to accept assistance to climate change adaptation, even if not knowing what these adaptation strategies would include. As a pilot study, numerous considerations have been included for future work on this topic to reduce assumptions and improve results accuracy. The study was too small to translate to the greater Pioneer Valley for results, but the method is important and applicable in future research and should be examined further to maintain the integrity of the agriculture sector.