The Experts below are selected from a list of 5046 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Casey D Morrow - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • detailed methods of two home based Vegetable gardening intervention trials to improve diet physical activity and quality of life in two different populations of cancer survivors
    2016
    Co-Authors: Mallory G Cases, Andrew D Fruge, Jennifer F De Los Santos, Julie L Locher, Alan B Cantor, Kerry P Smith, Tony Glover, Harvey J Cohen, Michael Daniel, Casey D Morrow
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Cancer survivors suffer from long-term adverse effects that reduce health-related quality of life (QOL) and physical functioning, creating an urgent need to develop effective, durable, and disseminable interventions. Harvest for Health, a home-based Vegetable gardening intervention, holds promise for these domains. Methods This report describes the methods and recruitment experiences from two randomized controlled feasibility trials that employ a waitlist-controlled design. Delivered in partnership with Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, this intervention provides one-on-one mentorship of cancer survivors in planning and maintaining three seasonal Vegetable Gardens over 12 months. The primary aim is to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability; secondary aims are to explore effects on objective and subjective measures of diet, physical activity and function, and QOL and examine participant factors associated with potential effects. One trial is conducted exclusively among 82 female breast cancer survivors residing in the Birmingham, AL metropolitan area (BBCS); another broadly throughout Alabama among 46 older cancer survivors aged > 60 (ASCS). Results Response rates were 32.6% (BBCS) and 52.3% (ASCS). Both trials exceeded 80% of their accrual target. Leading reasons for ineligibility were removal of > 10 lymph nodes (lymphedema risk factor), lack of physician approval, and unwillingness to be randomized to the waitlist. Conclusion To date, recruitment and implementation of Harvest for Health appears feasible. Discussion Although both studies encountered recruitment challenges, lessons learned can inform future larger-scale studies. Vegetable gardening interventions are of interest to cancer survivors and may provide opportunities to gain life skills leading to improvements in overall health and QOL.

  • detailed methods of two home based Vegetable gardening intervention trials to improve diet physical activity and quality of life in two different populations of cancer survivors
    2016
    Co-Authors: Mallory G Cases, Andrew D Fruge, Jennifer F De Los Santos, Julie L Locher, Alan B Cantor, Kerry P Smith, Tony Glover, Harvey J Cohen, Michael Daniel, Casey D Morrow
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Cancer survivors suffer from long-term adverse effects that reduce health-related quality of life (QOL) and physical functioning, creating an urgent need to develop effective, durable, and disseminable interventions. Harvest for Health, a home-based Vegetable gardening intervention, holds promise for these domains. Methods This report describes the methods and recruitment experiences from two randomized controlled feasibility trials that employ a waitlist-controlled design. Delivered in partnership with Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, this intervention provides one-on-one mentorship of cancer survivors in planning and maintaining three seasonal Vegetable Gardens over 12 months. The primary aim is to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability; secondary aims are to explore effects on objective and subjective measures of diet, physical activity and function, and QOL and examine participant factors associated with potential effects. One trial is conducted exclusively among 82 female breast cancer survivors residing in the Birmingham, AL metropolitan area (BBCS); another broadly throughout Alabama among 46 older cancer survivors aged > 60 (ASCS). Results Response rates were 32.6% (BBCS) and 52.3% (ASCS). Both trials exceeded 80% of their accrual target. Leading reasons for ineligibility were removal of > 10 lymph nodes (lymphedema risk factor), lack of physician approval, and unwillingness to be randomized to the waitlist. Conclusion To date, recruitment and implementation of Harvest for Health appears feasible. Discussion Although both studies encountered recruitment challenges, lessons learned can inform future larger-scale studies. Vegetable gardening interventions are of interest to cancer survivors and may provide opportunities to gain life skills leading to improvements in overall health and QOL.

Andreas Buerkert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • increasing nutrient use efficiency through improved feeding and manure management in urban and peri urban livestock units of a west african city a scenario analysis
    2013
    Co-Authors: Rodrigue V C Diogo, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert, Mariana C Rufino, Mark T Van Wijk
    Abstract:

    In many African cities urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) plays a major role in creating jobs and contributing to food security. However, many small-scale UPA systems are characterised by excessive nutrient inputs to the livestock unit and poor handling of manure. To assess the impact of improved feeding and manure management on nutrient use efficiency within the cattle unit, simulation modelling was used to compare three typical UPA farm types in Niamey, Niger, that comprised: animal husbandry alone (AH), animal husbandry plus gardening (AH+G), and animal husbandry plus gardening plus millet cultivation (AH+G+M). Improved feeding increased annual body weight gain and milk offtake from cattle and reduced the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted in urine, thereby lowering the risk of N emissions. With improved manure management, dry matter (DM) and nutrients recycled per animal and year, and potentially available for cropping, ranged from 321–690 kg DM, 8–22 kg N, 1.2–2.5 kg phosphorus (P), and 3.0–5.6 kg potassium (K) in AH as well as AH+G+M farms compared to 221–479 kg DM, 5.0–14.0 kg N, 0.7–1.6 kg P, and 2.0–4.0 kg K in AH+G farms. These amounts were up to 2.2-, 2.5-, 1.9- and 1-fold higher than the quantities of DM, N, P and K recycled under current practices. Feeding dairy cattle according to their requirements will enhance milk and meat production; if coupled with regular manure collection and low-cost covering of manure heaps, substantial amounts of nutrients are recycled to cropland and Vegetable Gardens and environmental pollution is reduced.

  • gaseous emissions of nitrogen and carbon from urban Vegetable Gardens in bobo dioulasso burkina faso
    2012
    Co-Authors: Desire Jeanpascal Lompo, Eva Schlecht, Sheick Sangare, Emmanuel Compaore, Michel Papoada Sedogo, Martina Predotova, Andreas Buerkert
    Abstract:

    Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is an important livelihood strategy for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and contributes to meeting increasing food demands in the rapidly growing cities. Although in recent years many research activities have been geared towards enhancing the productivity of this land-use system, little is known about turnover processes and nutrient efficiency of UPA. The aim of our study therefore was to determine horizontal fluxes of N, P, K, and C as well as gaseous N and C emissions in urban Vegetable Gardens of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Two Gardens referred to as “Kodeni” and “Kuinima” were selected as representative for urban and peri-urban systems classified as: (1) “commercial gardening + field crops and livestock system” and (2) “commercial gardening and semicommercial field crop system”, respectively. A nutrient-balance approach was used to monitor matter fluxes from March 2008 to March 2009 in both Gardens. Ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the respective soils were measured during the coolest and the hottest period of the day using a closed-chamber system. Annual partial balances amounted to 2056 kg N ha–1, 615 kg P ha–1, 1864 kg K ha–1, and 33 893 kg C ha–1 at Kodeni and to 1752 kg N ha–1, 446 kg P ha–1, 1643 kg K ha–1, and 21 021 kg C ha–1 at Kuinima. Emission rates were highest during the hot midday hours with peaks after fertilizer applications when fluxes of up to 1140 g NH3-N ha–1 h–1, 154 g N2O-N ha–1 h–1, 12 993 g CO2-C ha–1 h–1 were recorded for Kodeni and Kuinima. Estimated annual gaseous N (NH3-N + N2O-N) and C (CO2-C + CH4-C) losses reached 419 kg N ha–1 and 35 862 kg C ha–1 at Kodeni and 347 kg N ha–1 and 22 364 kg C ha–1 at Kuinima. For both Gardens, this represented 20% and 106% of the N and C surpluses, respectively. Emissions of NH3, largely emitted after surface application of manure and mineral fertilizers, accounted for 73% and 77% of total estimated N losses for Kodeni and Kuinima. To mitigate N losses nutrient-management practices in UPA Vegetable production of Bobo-Dioulasso would greatly benefit from better synchronizing nutrient-input rates with crop demands.

  • fractionation and mobility of cadmium and zinc in urban Vegetable Gardens of kano northern nigeria
    2012
    Co-Authors: John O Agbenin, Nafiu Abdu, Andreas Buerkert
    Abstract:

    Metal fractionation provides information on mobility and stability of various metal species which can be used to evaluate the movement of such metals in soils. The effect of wastewater irrigation on the fractions, spatial distribution, and mobility of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) was investigated in five urban Gardens in Kano, Nigeria. Concentration of total Zn in the surface soils (0–20 cm) ranged from 121 to 207 mg kg − 1 while Cd concentration was 0.3–2.0 mg kg − 1. Speciation of both heavy metals into seven operationally defined fractions indicated that the most reactive forms extracted with ammonium nitrate and ammonium acetate, also considered as the bioavailable fractions, accounted for 29–42% of total Cd and 22–54% of total Zn, respectively. The weakly bound fractions of Cd and Zn reached up to 50% of the total Cd and Zn concentrations in the soils. Such high proportions of labile Cd and Zn fractions are indicative of anthropogenic origins, arising from the application of wastewater for irrigation and municipal biosolids for soil fertility improvement. Thus, given the predominance of sandy soil textures, high concentrations of labile Cd and Zn in these garden soils represent a potential hazard for the redistribution and translocation of these metals into the food chain and aquifer.

  • mineral nitrogen and phosphorus leaching from Vegetable Gardens in niamey niger
    2011
    Co-Authors: Martina Predotova, Wolfanno Bischoff, Andreas Buerkert
    Abstract:

    Urban and periurban agriculture (UPA) contributes significantly to meeting increasing food demand of rapidly growing urban populations in West African cities. The often intensive high-input Vegetable production within UPA results in large positive nutrient balances, being presumably linked to strong nutrient leaching which needs quantification. This study aimed at estimating leaching losses of mineral N and P in three representative urban Gardens of Niamey, Niger, using ion-exchange-resin cartridges installed below the crop rooting zone at 0.6 m soil depth. In 2007, a year with below-average annual rainfall (425 mm as compared to 542 mm), mean leaching of mineral N amounted to 5.9 and 7.3 kg N ha -l for two Gardens with >80% sand fraction and only 2.2 kg N ha -1 for a garden with 40% silt and clay. Apparent annual P leaching was 0.7 kg P ha- 1 in all three Gardens. Additional multiannual studies are necessary to assess the effect of inter- and intraannual variation in precipitation on nutrient leaching in intensive UPA Vegetable production of semiarid West Africa.

  • horizontal nutrient fluxes and food safety in urban and peri urban Vegetable and millet cultivation of niamey niger
    2010
    Co-Authors: Rodrigue V C Diogo, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht
    Abstract:

    Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has often been accused of being nutrient inefficient and producing negative externalities. To investigate these problems for the West African capital Niamey (Niger), nutrient inputs through fertilizer and manure to 10 Vegetable Gardens and 9 millet fields and nutrient offtakes through harvests were quantified during 24 months, and contamination of irrigation water and selected Vegetables with faecal pathogens and heavy metals was determined. Annual partial horizontal balances for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) amounted to 9,936 kg C ha−1, 1,133 kg N ha−1, 223 kg P ha−1 and 312 kg K ha−1 in high input Vegetable Gardens as opposed to 9,580 kg C ha−1, 290 kg N ha−1, 125 kg P ha−1 and 351 kg K ha−1 in low input Gardens. In high input millet fields, annual surpluses of 259 kg C ha−1, 126 kg N ha−1, 20 kg P ha−1 and 0.4 kg K ha−1 were recorded, whereas surpluses of 12 kg C ha−1, 17 kg N ha−1, and deficits of −3 kg P ha−1 and −3 kg K ha−1 were determined for low input fields. Counts of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli yielded above threshold contamination levels of 7.2 × 104 CFU 25 g−1 and 3.9 × 104 CFU g−1 in lettuce irrigated with river water and fertilized with animal manure. Salmonella counts averaged 9.8 × 104 CFU 25 g−1 and E. coli 0.6 × 104 CFU g−1 for lettuce irrigated with wastewater, while these pathogens were not detected on Vegetables irrigated with pond water. These results underline the need for urban gardeners to better adjust the nutrients applied to crop requirements which might also reduce nutrient accumulations in the soil and further in the edibles parts of the Vegetables. Appropriate pre-treatment of irrigation water would help improve the quality of the latter and enhance the food safety of Vegetables determined for the urban markets.

Eva Schlecht - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • increasing nutrient use efficiency through improved feeding and manure management in urban and peri urban livestock units of a west african city a scenario analysis
    2013
    Co-Authors: Rodrigue V C Diogo, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert, Mariana C Rufino, Mark T Van Wijk
    Abstract:

    In many African cities urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) plays a major role in creating jobs and contributing to food security. However, many small-scale UPA systems are characterised by excessive nutrient inputs to the livestock unit and poor handling of manure. To assess the impact of improved feeding and manure management on nutrient use efficiency within the cattle unit, simulation modelling was used to compare three typical UPA farm types in Niamey, Niger, that comprised: animal husbandry alone (AH), animal husbandry plus gardening (AH+G), and animal husbandry plus gardening plus millet cultivation (AH+G+M). Improved feeding increased annual body weight gain and milk offtake from cattle and reduced the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted in urine, thereby lowering the risk of N emissions. With improved manure management, dry matter (DM) and nutrients recycled per animal and year, and potentially available for cropping, ranged from 321–690 kg DM, 8–22 kg N, 1.2–2.5 kg phosphorus (P), and 3.0–5.6 kg potassium (K) in AH as well as AH+G+M farms compared to 221–479 kg DM, 5.0–14.0 kg N, 0.7–1.6 kg P, and 2.0–4.0 kg K in AH+G farms. These amounts were up to 2.2-, 2.5-, 1.9- and 1-fold higher than the quantities of DM, N, P and K recycled under current practices. Feeding dairy cattle according to their requirements will enhance milk and meat production; if coupled with regular manure collection and low-cost covering of manure heaps, substantial amounts of nutrients are recycled to cropland and Vegetable Gardens and environmental pollution is reduced.

  • gaseous emissions of nitrogen and carbon from urban Vegetable Gardens in bobo dioulasso burkina faso
    2012
    Co-Authors: Desire Jeanpascal Lompo, Eva Schlecht, Sheick Sangare, Emmanuel Compaore, Michel Papoada Sedogo, Martina Predotova, Andreas Buerkert
    Abstract:

    Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is an important livelihood strategy for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and contributes to meeting increasing food demands in the rapidly growing cities. Although in recent years many research activities have been geared towards enhancing the productivity of this land-use system, little is known about turnover processes and nutrient efficiency of UPA. The aim of our study therefore was to determine horizontal fluxes of N, P, K, and C as well as gaseous N and C emissions in urban Vegetable Gardens of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Two Gardens referred to as “Kodeni” and “Kuinima” were selected as representative for urban and peri-urban systems classified as: (1) “commercial gardening + field crops and livestock system” and (2) “commercial gardening and semicommercial field crop system”, respectively. A nutrient-balance approach was used to monitor matter fluxes from March 2008 to March 2009 in both Gardens. Ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the respective soils were measured during the coolest and the hottest period of the day using a closed-chamber system. Annual partial balances amounted to 2056 kg N ha–1, 615 kg P ha–1, 1864 kg K ha–1, and 33 893 kg C ha–1 at Kodeni and to 1752 kg N ha–1, 446 kg P ha–1, 1643 kg K ha–1, and 21 021 kg C ha–1 at Kuinima. Emission rates were highest during the hot midday hours with peaks after fertilizer applications when fluxes of up to 1140 g NH3-N ha–1 h–1, 154 g N2O-N ha–1 h–1, 12 993 g CO2-C ha–1 h–1 were recorded for Kodeni and Kuinima. Estimated annual gaseous N (NH3-N + N2O-N) and C (CO2-C + CH4-C) losses reached 419 kg N ha–1 and 35 862 kg C ha–1 at Kodeni and 347 kg N ha–1 and 22 364 kg C ha–1 at Kuinima. For both Gardens, this represented 20% and 106% of the N and C surpluses, respectively. Emissions of NH3, largely emitted after surface application of manure and mineral fertilizers, accounted for 73% and 77% of total estimated N losses for Kodeni and Kuinima. To mitigate N losses nutrient-management practices in UPA Vegetable production of Bobo-Dioulasso would greatly benefit from better synchronizing nutrient-input rates with crop demands.

  • horizontal nutrient fluxes and food safety in urban and peri urban Vegetable and millet cultivation of niamey niger
    2010
    Co-Authors: Rodrigue V C Diogo, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht
    Abstract:

    Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has often been accused of being nutrient inefficient and producing negative externalities. To investigate these problems for the West African capital Niamey (Niger), nutrient inputs through fertilizer and manure to 10 Vegetable Gardens and 9 millet fields and nutrient offtakes through harvests were quantified during 24 months, and contamination of irrigation water and selected Vegetables with faecal pathogens and heavy metals was determined. Annual partial horizontal balances for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) amounted to 9,936 kg C ha−1, 1,133 kg N ha−1, 223 kg P ha−1 and 312 kg K ha−1 in high input Vegetable Gardens as opposed to 9,580 kg C ha−1, 290 kg N ha−1, 125 kg P ha−1 and 351 kg K ha−1 in low input Gardens. In high input millet fields, annual surpluses of 259 kg C ha−1, 126 kg N ha−1, 20 kg P ha−1 and 0.4 kg K ha−1 were recorded, whereas surpluses of 12 kg C ha−1, 17 kg N ha−1, and deficits of −3 kg P ha−1 and −3 kg K ha−1 were determined for low input fields. Counts of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli yielded above threshold contamination levels of 7.2 × 104 CFU 25 g−1 and 3.9 × 104 CFU g−1 in lettuce irrigated with river water and fertilized with animal manure. Salmonella counts averaged 9.8 × 104 CFU 25 g−1 and E. coli 0.6 × 104 CFU g−1 for lettuce irrigated with wastewater, while these pathogens were not detected on Vegetables irrigated with pond water. These results underline the need for urban gardeners to better adjust the nutrients applied to crop requirements which might also reduce nutrient accumulations in the soil and further in the edibles parts of the Vegetables. Appropriate pre-treatment of irrigation water would help improve the quality of the latter and enhance the food safety of Vegetables determined for the urban markets.

D Ivanovic - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • impact of a short term school Vegetable Gardens program on food related behavior of preschoolers and their mothers sao paulo brazil
    2011
    Co-Authors: Rachel G Miguel, D Ivanovic
    Abstract:

    El proposito de este estudio fue evaluar el impacto de un Programa de Huertas Escolares (PEHE) de corta duracion, dirigido a preescolares y sus madres, sobre el comportamiento alimentario, en relacion al consumo de verduras (CAV). La poblacion total, 231 diadas madre-preescolar fueron aleatoriamente distribuidas en: grupo control (GC, n=103) sin participar en el PEHE, y grupo experimental (GE, n=128), con participacion de los preescolares en el PEHE; sin embargo, en el GC y GE, 38 y 60 diadas, respectivamente, finalizaron el programa. Los preescolares del GE incrementaron el numero de comidas diarias y la frecuencia semanal en que ellos consumian verduras, como igualmente el numero de verduras que consumian (P< 0.02). Las madres del GE aumentaron significativamente el numero de comidas diarias en que consumian verduras (P< 0.01). Los hallazgos ponen de manifiesto la importancia de implementar un PEHE desde temprana edad para promover estilos de vida saludables.

  • impact of a short term school Vegetable Gardens program on food related behavior of preschoolers and their mothers sao paulo brazil impacto de un programa de huertas escolares de corta duracion en las conductas relacionadas con alimentos de preescolares y sus madres sao paulo brasil
    2011
    Co-Authors: Rachel G Miguel, D Ivanovic
    Abstract:

    ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a short-term school Vegetable Gardens program (VEGAPRO) focused on preschoolers and their mothers from Sao Paulo, Brazil, on food-related behavior (FRB) as regards to Vegetable consumption. The total population comprised 231dyads mother-preschooler randomly distributed in: control group (CG, n = 103), with no participation in VEGAPRO, and experimental group (EG, n= 128), with participation of preschooler in VEGAPRO. However, 38 and 60 dyads in the CG and EG, respectively, finished the VEGAPRO. Preschoolers enrolling in VEGAPRO increased the number of daily meals and the frequency with which they consume Vegetables, as well as the number of Vegetables that they consumed (P< 0.02). Mothers from the EG significantly increased the number of daily meals with which they consumed Vegetables (P< 0.01). These findings underline the importance of implementing VEGAPRO at an early age to promote a healthy lifestyle. Key words: Health education, health promotion, Vegetables, eating behavior, Brazil.

Mallory G Cases - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • detailed methods of two home based Vegetable gardening intervention trials to improve diet physical activity and quality of life in two different populations of cancer survivors
    2016
    Co-Authors: Mallory G Cases, Andrew D Fruge, Jennifer F De Los Santos, Julie L Locher, Alan B Cantor, Kerry P Smith, Tony Glover, Harvey J Cohen, Michael Daniel, Casey D Morrow
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Cancer survivors suffer from long-term adverse effects that reduce health-related quality of life (QOL) and physical functioning, creating an urgent need to develop effective, durable, and disseminable interventions. Harvest for Health, a home-based Vegetable gardening intervention, holds promise for these domains. Methods This report describes the methods and recruitment experiences from two randomized controlled feasibility trials that employ a waitlist-controlled design. Delivered in partnership with Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, this intervention provides one-on-one mentorship of cancer survivors in planning and maintaining three seasonal Vegetable Gardens over 12 months. The primary aim is to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability; secondary aims are to explore effects on objective and subjective measures of diet, physical activity and function, and QOL and examine participant factors associated with potential effects. One trial is conducted exclusively among 82 female breast cancer survivors residing in the Birmingham, AL metropolitan area (BBCS); another broadly throughout Alabama among 46 older cancer survivors aged > 60 (ASCS). Results Response rates were 32.6% (BBCS) and 52.3% (ASCS). Both trials exceeded 80% of their accrual target. Leading reasons for ineligibility were removal of > 10 lymph nodes (lymphedema risk factor), lack of physician approval, and unwillingness to be randomized to the waitlist. Conclusion To date, recruitment and implementation of Harvest for Health appears feasible. Discussion Although both studies encountered recruitment challenges, lessons learned can inform future larger-scale studies. Vegetable gardening interventions are of interest to cancer survivors and may provide opportunities to gain life skills leading to improvements in overall health and QOL.

  • detailed methods of two home based Vegetable gardening intervention trials to improve diet physical activity and quality of life in two different populations of cancer survivors
    2016
    Co-Authors: Mallory G Cases, Andrew D Fruge, Jennifer F De Los Santos, Julie L Locher, Alan B Cantor, Kerry P Smith, Tony Glover, Harvey J Cohen, Michael Daniel, Casey D Morrow
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Cancer survivors suffer from long-term adverse effects that reduce health-related quality of life (QOL) and physical functioning, creating an urgent need to develop effective, durable, and disseminable interventions. Harvest for Health, a home-based Vegetable gardening intervention, holds promise for these domains. Methods This report describes the methods and recruitment experiences from two randomized controlled feasibility trials that employ a waitlist-controlled design. Delivered in partnership with Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, this intervention provides one-on-one mentorship of cancer survivors in planning and maintaining three seasonal Vegetable Gardens over 12 months. The primary aim is to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability; secondary aims are to explore effects on objective and subjective measures of diet, physical activity and function, and QOL and examine participant factors associated with potential effects. One trial is conducted exclusively among 82 female breast cancer survivors residing in the Birmingham, AL metropolitan area (BBCS); another broadly throughout Alabama among 46 older cancer survivors aged > 60 (ASCS). Results Response rates were 32.6% (BBCS) and 52.3% (ASCS). Both trials exceeded 80% of their accrual target. Leading reasons for ineligibility were removal of > 10 lymph nodes (lymphedema risk factor), lack of physician approval, and unwillingness to be randomized to the waitlist. Conclusion To date, recruitment and implementation of Harvest for Health appears feasible. Discussion Although both studies encountered recruitment challenges, lessons learned can inform future larger-scale studies. Vegetable gardening interventions are of interest to cancer survivors and may provide opportunities to gain life skills leading to improvements in overall health and QOL.