Gatekeepers, shareholders, and evangelists: expanding communication networks of African American forest landowners in North Carolina

    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Hitchner, Sarah (author), Dwivedi, Puneet (author), Schelhas, John (author), and Jagadish, Arundhati (author)
    Format:
    Online journal article
    Publication Date:
    2019-02-08
    URL:
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08941920.2018.1560521
    Published:
    USA: Taylor & Francis
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 152 Document Number: D10140
    Journal Title:
    Society & Natural Resources
    Subject Term:
    Alabama, USA, communication analysis, communication networks, communication patterns, conservation, educational programs, environmental communication, forestry, gatekeepers, government programs, information dissemination, information flow, interviews, North Carolina, USA, South Carolina, USA, sustainability, trust, sustainable land use, African-Americans, environmental management, landowners, social networks, information exchange, community organization, peer teaching, and qualitative research
    Notes:
    17 pages., via online journal article, The Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) was launched in 2012 to increase adoption of sustainable forestry practices among African American landowners in the southeastern United States to prevent land loss, increase forest health, and build economic assets. One of its main goals was to build communication networks through which African American landowners could obtain and share information about forestry practices and landowner assistance programs independent of public agencies. To measure and examine the growth of these communication networks over a three-year period (2014-2017), we conducted 87 interviews with landowners (24 of whom were interviewed multiple times), SFLR personnel, and Federal and State staff members in North Carolina. We used complementary methods of data gathering and analysis, including social network analysis and qualitative analysis. Our results showed expanding communication networks will be sustained independently of the program over time, although there is still a heavy reliance on program personnel.

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