https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0824-8364
Dear Community Development Readers, I am honored to present the latest issue of our journal, featuring a diverse and thought-provoking collection of articles that continue to advance our field and practice of community development. In particular, these articles focus on (1) Nature, Environment, and Climate and (2) Farms, Gardens, and Food, which often connect. The articles in this collection illustrate resilient, adaptive, and innovative approaches, coupled with valuable tools for both research and practice.
Nature, environment, and culture
Several articles in our journal focus on community resilience and wellbeing, a topic well-known in our publication (e.g. Cafer et al., Citation2019; Phillips et al., Citation2024). “Exploring the Role of Social Capital in Advancing Climate Change Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction” delves into how social capital influences community resilience, using a mixed-method approach to demonstrate the role of social networks in mobilizing resources, building resilience, and improving livelihoods, particularly in the context of climate change and disaster risk reduction. “Time to Treat the Climate and Nature Crisis as One Indivisible Global Health Emergency” examines the interconnectedness of environmental and social health, emphasizing the need for a unified approach to addressing these crises, considering their profound impact on community wellbeing and resilience. “We’re All in the Same Boat: The Role of Group Physical Activity in Community (Re)Development Following a Natural Disaster” explores the impact of group physical activity on community rebuilding efforts after the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, highlighting the benefits of physical exercise, social connection, and leadership in fostering community resilience and recovery. “Connectedness and Wellbeing: Community and Nature-Based Connection in the Context of Utah’s Rapid Growth” investigates how rapid population growth affects social and nature-based connectedness, revealing that perceptions of growth significantly impact individuals’ sense of connectedness and wellbeing, offering important implications for community planning and development. Finally, “Toward Improved River Basin Management for Sustainable Community-Based Water Supply Systems and Community Development in North-West Cameroon” highlights the significance of water management for sustainable community development, promising critical insights regarding water and community development, which has become a popular topic in recent years (Talmage, Citation2022).
Farms, gardens, and food
“NGOs’ Strategies Towards Asset Accumulation and Poverty Reduction in Zimbabwe” examines the role of NGOs in asset accumulation and poverty alleviation, discussing strategies like income-generating activities and vocational training through a case study in Chegutu District. The study “Intergenerational Family Farm Leadership, Organizational Innovativeness, and Resiliency” explores intergenerational leadership dynamics on California family farms, using the Innovation Diffusion Model to highlight the resilience and innovativeness derived from legacy and ingenuity. “Community Gardens and the Social Solidarity Economy” investigates how community gardens in South Africa foster solidarity and establish alternative economic practices, addressing challenges and successes in connecting with the social solidarity economy. Lastly, “Community Building Through Collaborative Food Production and Consumption: A Case Study of Grow Free in South Australia” examines a grassroots initiative that promotes food resource sharing and exchange, demonstrating how Grow Free participants contribute to community building and resilience through collaborative food production and consumption, linking to other grassroots social initiatives. While some may choose to publish articles like these in the wonderful Journal of Rural and Community Development or the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, we are glad to be another outlet for such work.
We hope these articles to stimulate new research, teaching, policy-making, and practical applications in community development across the two themes, as well as inform community resilience, community wellbeing, and areas beyond. Your continued support and contributions as readers are essential in making Community Development an invaluable resource for our field. I express my gratitude to the authors for their commitment to creating such insightful and impactful work. Additionally, I extend my thanks to our reviewers and editors for their meticulous efforts in pushing these articles to be rigorous and important offerings to our field. Final thanks go out to those who have conducted book reviews for the journal. We are excited to showcase even more of them in the coming year.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
References
- Cafer, A., Green, J., & Goreham, G. (2019). A community resilience framework for community development practitioners building equity and adaptive capacity. Community Development, 50(2), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2019.1575442
- Phillips, R. J., Beer, O. W., & Maleku, A. (2024). Conceptualizing and operationalizing community resilience: A scoping review of the social and health sciences literature. Community Development, 55(2), 174–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2023.2225088
- Talmage, C. A. (2022). Editorial notes. Community Development, 53(2), 127–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2022.2082707