Research
Research Project Wish List
Want to help us find the answers to some exciting research questions? If you're looking for an interesting topic for a paper, an internship, a thesis, or anyting else, have a look at our Short Term Projects and Resarch Questions below!
Contact OFPC Coordinator Esperanza Pallana at epallana (dot) ofpc (at) foodfirst (dot) org to talk about these projects, and for more detail on what sort of information we're looking for.
Short-Term Projects
Create exhibit materials on the history of agriculture in California and food businesses in Oakland for a preview at a fundraising event on October 17, 2010, and ultimately for a future event at the Oakland Museum of California
Create a "Food Systems 101" guide, including simple definitions of terms that may be unfamiliar to Oakland residents (including things like "unprocessed" or "food justice"), illustrated with pictures whenever possible
Create a basic guide to food justice activism and advocacy, based on some existing PolicyLink materials
Create a youth-oriented page for the OFPC website
Research Questions
How much local food is already in Oakland's food stream? Survey food distributors/wholesalers to identify local food volume figures.
How many roofs in Oakland are flat/sloped? Are these roofs available for gardens/solar panels?
How could we measure how many stores are using green technologies, how many are currently using the energy policy incentives, and how much money has been saved or could be saved?
What do people actually eat? (Ethnographic interviews with a sample of Oakland food consumers)
What is the local economic multiplier for different food system activities?
How do food prices vary across Oakland and for different food retail formats?
What is the breakdown for the retail food dollar for Oakland's foodshed? How much of each dollar is going to the farmer? To the middlemen?
How much private vacant lot space is available in Oakland to potentially produce food?
How much of Oakland’s food waste gets composted and comes back to Oakland? Does compost get shipped back at all?
Are there standardized soil testing protocols for urban agriculture being used in other communities?
Where exactly do California farmers sell their products?
