A “Community Supported Journal”​ worth Supporting on Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development

The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development (JAFSCD) is a community supported journal, free to read (online) and has a range of articles that will be of interest to anyone interested in research, organizing and activism related to efforts to create a more sustainable and just food system.

I believe this journal is a great resource and an important project to participate in and support. Here are some of the reasons:

  • There are over 30 academic, research, and extension programs who are shareholders in a new model they call a Community Supported Journal – this is a wonderful alternative to the corporate publishing model. Our research centre has recently joined.
  • Shareholders are helping to provide free access to all JAFSCD content to everyone, worldwide.
  • The double-blind peer-reviewed international journal requires authors to write using an ‘accessible scholarship’ writing style ensuring that research is available, accessible and useful to everyone.
  • The journal works to ensure that activists, practitioners and ‘voices from the grassroots’ have the opportunity to publish in the journal.
  • They provide special editorial support for people who: a) have less experience publishing; b) for whom English is a second language.
  • They also provide special support for new researchers and are working proactively to ensure voices from marginalized communities are included in the journal.
  • There are some brilliant articles in the journal – all archived online.
  • It is supported by a great community of activists, organizers, scholars, scientists and other people behind it.
  • The editor(s) are fantastic and really great to work with (I’ve published in the journal and organized a special issue with them on Cooperatives and Alternative Food Networks)

If you are a part of an organization or university department, I encourage you to consider becoming a shareholder (as an institution), to read the journal (open access) and to publish your work in JAFSCD. Visit here to learn more about the benefits of becoming a member: https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/csj – also note that libraries are encouraged to become shareholders (by making a contribution in lieu of a subscription).

If you are interested in becoming a shareholder, serving as a reviewer, or volunteering as a mentor to young authors or those whose first language is not English, please email editor in chief Duncan Hilchey at duncan@lysoncenter.org.

Written by Colin Anderson (Who sits on the international advisory board for the journal)

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