Community-Engaged Research Supports Urban Agriculture

Claire Turner’s Capstone project uses community-engaged research methods to inform business operating model recommendations for The Greenhouse Project (TGP), a historic 2.2-acre agricultural site in San Francisco. The project is envisioned as a model urban agriculture initiative, a collaborative and visionary hub for food production, education, connection, and environmental stewardship, and a site for broader intersections between various food systems actors, researchers, and policymakers. As a final project in the MSFS/MBA degree program, Claire Turner worked closely with organizers of the initiative to create a comprehensive feasibility study highlighting multiple models for how The Greenhouse Project can best achieve its social and environmental commitments while maintaining financial solvency. Her analysis and recommendations seek to demonstrate that an urban farm can be profitable, equity-focused, and sustainable by integrating social and environmental values into the business planning process.