Rooted in the scholarly work of Dr. Aparna Katre, the garden project draws from her recent publication, “Moving beyond access: a multidimensional community food security assessment framework,” co-authored with Alex Lindgren (current UMD medical student), Brianna Raddatz and Mary Parsatoon (both UMD Public Health alumni).

While traditional food security models focus heavily on the single pillar of “access,” Dr. Katre’s framework integrates all four essential pillars: availability, access, utilization, and stability. By applying a four-step assessment process in Duluth, the research revealed that while the community’s immediate access to food is relatively well-addressed, there is a critical need for long-term strategies focused on food utilization. The Feywild Farm Community Garden helps bridge this gap by providing a space for community members to grow, learn about, and utilize fresh produce.

WATCH: UMD professor Dana Lindaman discusses the project in a Fox 21 interview