Emily Roll, Jenna Peterson, Johnathan Bowsley, Nathan Beaudry 

Sponsor or Client: City of Flagstaff Office of Sustainability

Title:

Community Engagement and Site Improvement of McAllister Ranch

Abstract:

The McAllister Ranch project is centered on community outreach and event planning to promote the new Farm Incubator. McAllister Ranch sits on a 10-acre plot of land currently owned by the City of Flagstaff, which requires revitalization to make it a hub for urban farming across the community. City-supported urban agriculture would add a new dimension of food resilience within the community, by having a resource when food insecurity tensions present themselves. The objective of our project was to engage with the neighborhoods around the ranch and the greater City of Flagstaff in hopes of gaining their input on the growth and development of the McAllister Ranch. Our research involves evaluating the effectiveness of community outreach strategies such as fliers, social media, and door hangers to connect community members and partners to the site. We conducted this research by organizing a volunteer day where 85 people were in attendance. These people were asked to take a survey on their visions for the site, of which 24 responses were given detailing their ideas for the ranch. All of our efforts and connections made throughout the process will be passed on to our partners in the City of Flagstaff’s Office of Sustainability so that they may continue growing McAllister Ranch into something with great community support. By focusing on community engagement, we hope our research will have long-lasting results and encourage further development of food and climate resilience within the greater Flagstaff community.
Keywords: Community outreach, McAllister Ranch, Flagstaff, urban agriculture