In the early stages of this project we made two visits to Thompson County Park to meet with Dakota County Parks staff as well as get acquainted with the park itself. Following these meetings, we decided that to better understand the public’s perceptions and attitudes about the idea of adding a food productive landscape (FPL) in Thompson County Park, we would develop a short survey. This survey asked participants about their attitudes towards various types of FPLs, the likelihood of them using various FPLs, and motivations and hesitations for participating in an FPL. The survey was available in both English and Spanish.
We recruited survey participation using three primary methods: in-person intercepts in the park, temporary yard signs installed in different locations in the park, and social media platforms.
We conducted a total of three intercepts in Thompson County Park where we stationed ourselves across various high traffic points throughout the park and offered park goers an opportunity to take our survey on paper or by scanning a QR code. For those who did not have the time to stop and talk, we had small printouts of the QR code that they could take with them. Depending on the weather, we also offered park goers hot cider or lemonade, as well as dog treats for any canine companions they may have along with them. The intercepts were a great chance to engage with people in the park and it led to some insightful conversations with park visitors.
In addition to the intercepts, we placed a number of yard signs throughout the park. These signs invited park goers to share their thoughts about the future of Thompson County Park and had the QR code to survey. Each sign had one side in Spanish and one side in English.
Finally, we shared a link to our online survey across various social media platforms and groups. Along with a post by Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkin to his own Facebook page, a post was made to the following Facebook groups: West St. Paul Neighbors, West St. Paul–A Better Community, West Side/West St. Paul Neighborhood, Conversations in West St. Paul, West/South Saint Paul Neighbors, West St. Paul Neighborhood Kind People Only, and West St. Paul Walking/Biking. The survey was also given to Iglesia Apolstolica de la Fe en Cristo Jesús, Oakdale Community Church, St. George Antiochian Orthodox, St. Croix Lutheran Academy, and the Thompson Park Activity Center for circulation.
The surveys also had an option for the participants to leave their contact information for a follow up interview if they so wished. Following the collection of surveys, we reached out to those who indicated interest in speaking further. This resulted in us conducting a total of three semi-structured interviews. The interviews allowed for participants to expand on their responses from the survey and were useful in providing more insight into their motivations and hesitations surrounding an FPL in the park, as well as insights about Thompson County Park more generally.
Once all survey responses were collected, data analysis began. We used ATLAS.ti, a qualitative data analysis software package, to help with this analysis, particularly for the open-ended response questions. We used this program to systematically examine all participant responses to identify common themes in answering our main questions of concern.
