From March 2010 to May 2010, Emma’s Garden conducted comprehensive market research and a targeted feasibility study.

• Our market research gauges supply and demand trends in the local market for fresh produce.
• Our feasibility study examines the extent to which the community would welcome Emma’s Garden’s services and principles.

What we examined

1. poverty
2. fresh produce access & consumption
3. community participation
4. enthusiasm for a community garden
5. infrastructure
6. available land
7. public services
8. housing
9. private business
10. overall community character
11. community organizations

Where we looked

Of Portland’s 95 neighborhoods,* 23 meet the federal definition of “blighted or economically depressed.”  Our research is limited to these 23 neighborhoods.

How we collected our data

We read reams of literature, poured through census data, scoured school lunch price data, walked and drove through neighborhoods, surveyed a handful of locals in person, and called hundreds of randomly selected residents.

What we found

The Cully neighborhood is particularly suitable for Emma’s Garden.  Our snapshot of Cully indicates:

• incomes characteristically low
• strong and growing demand for fresh produce
• weak access to fresh produce
• weak consumption of fresh produce
• demand for increased community participation
• weak community participation
• direct competition with Emma’s Garden not evident
• neighborhood supportive of Emma’s Garden services and principles

With nearly 13,000 residents, over half of all Cully households are considered at or below the federal poverty level.  The neighborhood is uncharacteristically diverse for the Portland area, home to over 5,000 non-white residents, including a large proportion (19%) of Latino/Hispanic residents and significant African-American (10%) and Asian (8%) minorities.

Cully

Please contact Jim Mignano, Research & Policy Director, if you would like further information on our research.

*Identified by Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement.