Building Sustainable Community-Academic Partnerships while Implementing a Nutrition-Based Blackberry Garden Program at a Senior Center.

Due to limited access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables, older adults are at increased risk of worsening or developing chronic diseases. This paper describes a community-academic partnership that provides a sustainable source of blackberries to attendees of a rural senior center. Qualitative research evaluated the partnership following implementation of a blackberry program. Focus groups and interviews included partners from a senior center, Cooperative Extension Service, and a detention center. Main themes: group power dynamics influenced communication between research and community leadership teams; unexpected project barriers emerged; and community leadership team suggested strategies to promote project longevity.