Paige Robillard, Fatih Sekercioglu, Sara Edge and Ian Young
Urban community gardens (UCGs) are important sources of community, food and greenspaces in urban environments. Though UCGs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Ontario, Canada…
Abstract
Purpose
Urban community gardens (UCGs) are important sources of community, food and greenspaces in urban environments. Though UCGs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Ontario, Canada, were considered essential during the COVID-19 lockdowns and therefore open to gardeners, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and UCG use among garden members and managers is not fully understood.
Design/methodology/approach
This was an exploratory qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven managers and eight members of nine gardens in the GTA. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that UCGs helped participants be resilient to COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors through the provision of cultural ecosystem services. Therefore, this study supports the current literature that UCGs can help foster resilience during crises. While participants in this study did not end up being food insecure, participants did express concern about community food security.
Practical implications
Results contribute to the current body of literature, and can be used to further update and develop UCG policies, as well as help develop UCG infrastructure and management strategies for future crises.
Originality/value
The impacts of the pandemic on Canadian UCGs are not well understood. This research paper investigated the impact of the pandemic on UCG use and food security, as well as the link between UCG use and increased resilience to COVID-19-related stressors.
Details
Keywords
Fatih Erdoğdu, Seyfullah Gökoğlu and Mehmet Kara
The current study aimed to develop and validate Mobile Information Security Awareness Scale (MISAS) based on the prototype model for measuring information security awareness and…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study aimed to develop and validate Mobile Information Security Awareness Scale (MISAS) based on the prototype model for measuring information security awareness and the relevant literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The scale was developed and validated with the participation of 562 students from four universities. The construct validity of the scale was tested through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings
The reliability of the scale was tested through corrected item-total correlations and Cronbach alpha. The MISAS includes six factors and 17 items. The identified factors were labeled as backup, instant messaging and navigation, password protection, update, access permission and using others' devices.
Research limitations/implications
The scale included only the human aspects of mobile information security. The technical aspects are not within the scope of this study. For this reason, future studies might develop and validate a different scale focusing on the technical aspects of mobile information security.
Originality/value
The developed scale contributes to the literature on the human aspects of mobile information security.