Let my people grow: The diffusion of the Jewish farming movement through the Jewish community of the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area
Rachel Berndtson
Committee: Dr. Martha Geores (chair), Dr. Chris Justice, Dr. Klaus Hubacek, Dr. Marsha Rozenblit
Introduction
Methodology
The Jewish farming movement (JFM) is a phenomenon that practices
sustainable agriculture with messages rooted Jewish values as well as
ecological and social-wellbeing (Jewish Farm School 2011; Kayam Farm 2011).
The movement began between 2005 and 2007, and operates through non-profit
and educational small scale farms, community gardens and urban agricultural
sites. Jewish farming initiatives may be part of a larger revival in social justice
action amongst Jewish communities in recent years.
A grounded theory research method is appropriate for the study of Baltimore’s
Jewish farming movement, because it is a relatively new phenomenon and has
not yet been theoretically analyzed from a geographic perspective (Strauss and
Corbin 1998; Creswell 2007). The researcher abstracts relevant, emerging
themes and contexts from the empirical data to create an original theory
(Strauss and Corbin 1998).
Purpose/Importance
The purpose of this grounded theory study is to account for the diffusion of the
Jewish farming movement through the Jewish community of the Greater
Baltimore Metropolitan Area. Today’s Jewish Baltimore includes 42,500
households with 93,400 people, making it the 14th largest Jewish community in
the United States (Ukeles and Miller 2010, 13-14). Within the Greater Baltimore
Metropolitan Area, 75% of Jews live in five areas, as seen on the map below:
Pikesville, Park Heights, Owings Mills, Reisterstown and Mount Washington
(Ukeles and Miller 2010, 20).
Data Collection Methods
In addition to literature reviews and metadata, a mixed methods data collection
approach will be used through open interviews, surveys and solicited, semistructured (SSS) diaries.
Quality Checking and Validation Strategies
Baltimore Jewish Population 2010
(Ukeles and Miller 2010)
Research quality is checked against a series of criteria that indicate the
analytical logic of the research process (Strauss and Corbin 1998; Creswell
2007). Findings are validated through the methods of triangulation (Bradshaw
and Stratford 2010), consensual validation and peer review (Eisner 1991 in
Creswell 2007, 204), clarification of research bias and qualitative research
limitations (Creswell and Miller 2000 in Creswell 2007, 207) and rich, thick data
descriptions (Geertz 1973 in Mansvelt and Berg 2010, 349).
Preliminary Findings
Data Collection Process
Data collection and analysis are cyclical under the grounded theory method.
The researcher collects data and tests it against propositions until emerging
incidents are grouped into categories to make a theoretical explanation of the
research question (Strauss and Corbin 1998; Seale 2004). Data collection and
analysis continue until the research reaches “theoretical saturation,” or “the
point in category development at which no new properties, dimensions or
relations emerge during analysis” (Strauss and Corbin 1998, 143).
Four major categories were extracted from the open coding analysis of two
Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved preliminary pilot interviews. The four
major categories include:
(1) “Creating a new movement to respond to a new time period”
(2) “Expanding a new movement through networks”
(3) “Impacting adopters”
(4) “Planning for the future of a new movement.”
Bibliography
Bradshaw, M. & E. Stratford. 2010. Qualitative research design and rigour. In Qualitative research methods in human
geography, ed. I. Hay, 69-80. Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Four questions guide this research, reflecting the major categories of innovation
diffusion research including the invention of the innovation, the diffusion of the
innovation and the impact of the innovation (Brown 1981; Morrill, Gaile and
Thrall 1988).
Brown, L. A. 1981. Innovation diffusion: a new perspective. New York: Methuen & Co.
Creswell, J. W. 2007. Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. W. & D. L. Miller. 2000. Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39, 124-131.
Eisner, E. W. 1991. The enlightened eye: qualitative inquiry and the enhancement of educational practice. New York:
MacMillan.
Research Question 1: What is Baltimore’s Jewish farming movement, how did
it begin and what factors contributed to its original invention?
Research Question 2: How is Baltimore’s Jewish farming movement diffusing
through the Jewish community of the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area?
Research Question 3: What are the impacts of Baltimore’s Jewish farming
movement on its adopters’ Jewish identities and sustainable lifestyles?
Research Question 4: How does Baltimore’s Jewish farming movement
compare to other, similar movements in the United States?
The results of this diffusion study will be used to
(1) advance knowledge on the creation and diffusion of the rapidly growing
small-scale, sustainable agricultural movements in the United States
(2) Add to the literature on Jewish identity from “new” Jewish initiatives
(3) Add to the literature on ecologically sustainable lifestyle changes through
community-based organizations
(4) Provide the Baltimore Jewish farming community with a geographic
perspective of diffusion and adopter impacts to aid future planning.
Geertz, C. 1973. The interpretation of culture: selected essays. New York: Basic Books.
Jewish Farm School. 2011. Accessed April 4. http://www.jewishfarmschool.org/.
Kayam Farm. 2011. “About.” Accessed April 4.http://www.kayamfarm.org/?page_id=7.
Latham, A. 2003. Research, performance, and doing human geography: some reflections on the diary-photograph, diaryinterview method. Environment and Planning A, 35, 1993-2017.
Mansvelt, J. & L. D. Berg. 2010. Writing qualitative geographies, constructing meaningful geographic knowledges. In
Qualitative research methods in human geography, ed. I. Hay, 333-355. Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Data Analysis Procedure
Grounded theory analysis occurs through a series of coding steps. General
concepts which are clustered into descriptive categories and evaluated for
interrelationships and finally into one emergent “substantive-level” theory
(Creswell 2007, 67; Strauss and Corbin 1998; Seale 2004). The researcher’s
data analysis process is guided by Creswell’s “Data Analysis Spiral” (2007).
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in human geography, ed. I. Hay, 191-216. Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Morrill, R., G. L. Gaile & G. I. Thrall. 1988. Spatial diffusion. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Seale, C. 2004. Generating grounded theory. In Researching society and culture, ed. C. Seale, 239-247. London: Sage
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Strauss, A. & J. Corbin. 1998. Basics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Ukeles, J. B. & R. Miller. 2010. Community studies: 2010 Baltimore Jewish community study. Baltimore, MD: The
ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.