2.2. Participants and Recruitment

Participants were recruited through direct outreach, internet recruitment (i.e., email, social media posts), and snowball sampling. The qualitative framing of this study (e.g., phenomenology) determined the sampling approach. For example, phenomenological research recommends recruiting a sample of individuals that have experienced the phenomenon under inquiry [63]. Therefore, following initial recruitment, criterion sampling was applied to ensure that all study participants had some experience with (or close knowledge of) the urban agricultural system in Baltimore [63].

The authors identified and contacted local activists, advocates, and scholars involved in Baltimore food justice issues (the central topic of interest), and then invited participants to schedule an in-depth interview. Additional inclusion criteria required individuals to: (1) live/work in urban agriculture in Baltimore; or (2) conduct food justice work in the area. Researchers identified participants across a range of sectors (e.g., community members, academic researchers, and government officials). Fifteen individuals identifying as urban farmers, community residents, leading academic scholars, or food equity advisors participated in the study. Food equity advisors are Baltimore residents who work collaboratively with the city’s Department of Planning to create an equitable community food system. As with all research, the participants in this study were volunteers; therefore, the representativeness and proportionality to the source community may not be exact.

All participants were over the age of 18, and either lived in Baltimore or conducted food justice work in the city. Nine were urban farmers, three were food equity advisors, two were academic scholars, and one was a former employee of the Baltimore City Health Department. Nine participants identified as women and six identified as men. Ten participants identified as Black/African American (n = 10) and five identified as white (n = 5).

After obtaining informed consent, participants participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews virtually. All interviews were conducted between June 2020 and February 2021 by both authors. Due to the timing of this study and COVID-19 travel restrictions, nearly all interviews were conducted via phone or online conferencing platform. Participants were compensated with USD $30.00 for their participation.