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Prof. Dr. Sabine O'Hara
College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES); University of the District of Columbia; Washington; United States

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Sustainable Development
0 Urban Agriculture
0 Urban Sustainability
0 Environmental and agricultural economics
0 Ecological economicics

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Short Biography

DR. SABINE URSULA O’HARA Distinguished Professor and PhD Program Director Teacher, mentor, researcher, and leader with a record of success. • Developed the UDC Urban Food Hubs initiative, which won recognition from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Budget and Policy Committee as a national innovator in cooperative extension. • Increased applications from U.S. scholars to the Fulbright program by 90 percent in 2 years and more than doubled applications from minority faculties. • Developed a global scholar collaboration entitled "The University as Innovation Driver and Knowledge Center" that led to the launch of the non-profit organization "Professors Beyond Borders". • Designed and implemented a curriculum reform process that assisted the University of South Africa (UNISA) in transitioning from correspondence courses to interactive on-line courses. • Completed a successful strategic plan for Roanoke College, increased annual giving by 22 percent, and raised over USD 5 million for strategic projects. • Developed a sustainable economic development blueprint for the Roanoke Valley entitled "The Five Pillars of Economic Development" that has been used in various communities.

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Journal article
Published: 13 July 2021 in Sustainability
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This article presents a vision for an urban food system in Washington DC in 2050 that serves as the centerpiece of a circular economy for the capital region of the United States. Food serves as the connecting link for an inclusive, adaptive, and resilient urban economy embedded in the region. This food economy values natural resources, cultural diversity, and commitment to nature-based innovations. The vision is the result of a three-pronged methodology of: (1) community engagement; (2) a thoughtful, process-focused transformation; and (3) the scaling up of existing urban food initiatives. We argue that small, hyperlocal, neighborhood-based initiatives can become crucial game changers and catalysts of change for entire neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Therefore, we propose a design-based approach to advance our 2050 vision of a circular food system. Our design-based approach consists of three building blocks: (A) systems thinking; (B) the ability to manage wins and tradeoffs; and (C) transitional leadership and cooperation. We explain these building blocks and the way in which they are incorporated in the 2050 vision of Washington DC. We further argue that the food economy is an ideal sector to embark on such a design-based approach due to its systemic nature, its critical position as an indispensable economic sector, and the complex connections it brings to multiple other sectors of the economy. An urban food system can therefore offer the ideal starting point for a transition towards a circular economy.

ACS Style

Marian Stuiver; Sabine O’Hara. Food Connects Washington DC in 2050—A Vision for Urban Food Systems as the Centerpieces of a Circular Economy. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7821 .

AMA Style

Marian Stuiver, Sabine O’Hara. Food Connects Washington DC in 2050—A Vision for Urban Food Systems as the Centerpieces of a Circular Economy. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):7821.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marian Stuiver; Sabine O’Hara. 2021. "Food Connects Washington DC in 2050—A Vision for Urban Food Systems as the Centerpieces of a Circular Economy." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 7821.

Journal article
Published: 08 November 2020 in Ecological Economics
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Disparities in food access and the resulting inequities in food security are persistent problems in cities across the United States. The nation's capital is no exception. The District of Columbia's 's geography of food insecurity reveals a history of uneven food access that has only been amplified by the vulnerability of food supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the history of food insecurity in Washington, D.C., and explores new opportunities presented by advances in urban agriculture. Innovations in food production can offer urban communities sustainable alternatives to food access that simultaneously address local food security and green infrastructure needs. They also bring persistent sociopolitical barriers into greater focus. The current COVID-19 pandemic and its imposed social isolation exacerbates these barriers, rendering conventional food access solutions inadequate to deliver on their well-intentioned aims. The ability to order groceries and home goods on mobile devices, for example, may seem fortuitous. Yet, it also exposes the deep disadvantages of marginalized populations and the isolating nature of structural racism. Contrary to the market-centered focus of traditional food access policies, such as public-private partnerships, this paper highlights community-centered strategies that help dismantle existing sociopolitical barriers in an age of crisis and help shift the food justice discourse from food access to the broader goal of community empowerment.

ACS Style

Sabine O'Hara; Etienne C. Toussaint. Food access in crisis: Food security and COVID-19. Ecological Economics 2020, 180, 106859 .

AMA Style

Sabine O'Hara, Etienne C. Toussaint. Food access in crisis: Food security and COVID-19. Ecological Economics. 2020; 180 ():106859.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sabine O'Hara; Etienne C. Toussaint. 2020. "Food access in crisis: Food security and COVID-19." Ecological Economics 180, no. : 106859.

Journal article
Published: 22 February 2017 in Metropolitan Universities
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Access to affordable fresh food is an ongoing challenge for underserved urban neighborhoods across the United States. Several are designated food deserts with no access to a full-service grocery store within a one-mile radius. The Urban Food Hubs of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) exemplify the University’s commitment to building capacity in the food desert neighborhoods of Washington D.C. The four components of the Urban Food Hubs are food production, food preparation, food distribution, and waste and water recovery (http://www.udc.edu/category/causes). They are designed to not only provide access to fresh food, but also to create jobs, improve public health, mitigate water management problems, and create urban resiliency. The contributions in economic, social/cultural, and physical/environmental impacts, and the five pillars of economic development that track the broader impacts of urban capacity building are described here. The Urban Food Hubs demonstrate the investment metropolitan universities could make to ensure the long-term economic, social, and environmental health of each community. The model is scalable and replicable in other metropolitan areas including those that experience high pressure on land-use and those experiencing decline.

ACS Style

Sabine O’Hara. The Urban Food Hubs Solution: Building Capacity in Urban Communities. Metropolitan Universities 2017, 28, 69 -93.

AMA Style

Sabine O’Hara. The Urban Food Hubs Solution: Building Capacity in Urban Communities. Metropolitan Universities. 2017; 28 (1):69-93.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sabine O’Hara. 2017. "The Urban Food Hubs Solution: Building Capacity in Urban Communities." Metropolitan Universities 28, no. 1: 69-93.