Food charity: the ‘other’ food system

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Lambie-Mumford
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Acquisition ◽  
System P ◽  
Commercial Market ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Food Provision ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Food Charity ◽  
Accepted Form

Chapter 4 discusses how socially acceptable emergency food provision is as a means of food acquisition. This acceptability is explored through the notion of ‘otherness’ and questions around the nature of emergency food as an ‘other’ system and whether it is experienced as such by recipients. This chapter argues that emergency food provision can be said to form an identifiably other system given the ways in which it lacks key features of shopping in the commercial market (the socially accepted form of food acquisition in the UK today). Whilst these systems and the food distributed through them do still hold moral and market-based aspects of value, ultimately, emergency food systems are not only identifiably other but experientially so as well. Such systems are experienced as ‘other’ by those that have to turn to them and the experience of this ‘other’ system as exclusionary is highly problematic.

The sustainability of food charity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Lambie-Mumford
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Provision ◽  
Food Charity

Chapter 5 addresses how sustainable emergency food initiatives are, in relation to the sustainability of both the availability of food to emergency food providers and the accessibility of that food to potential recipients. This chapter first of all explores the agency of emergency food providers to make food available and finds that they are constrained in significant ways by the structure of the food industry. The agency of potential emergency food recipients is also highly constrained, both in terms of accessing the projects and once within them. The sustainability of emergency food provision in terms of the availability of food through these systems and access to that food by people in need therefore appears to be particularly vulnerable. Emergency food providers and their recipients are constrained by the structures in which they operate (the food system and emergency food systems) and their ability to access the amount of food they require is ultimately determined by these structures.

How to Feed Ourselves—Could This Be the Biggest Question of the 21st Century?

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Moore Lappé
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Challenge ◽  
Scientific Controversy ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Erich Fromm ◽  
Scientific Controversies ◽  
The Uk

Not all scientific controversies are fought in the laboratory: Today much of our planet is the testing ground in a scientific controversy touching virtually every human being on Earth. It centers on the path we choose to feed ourselves, a choice that will create ripples ranging from the extent of hunger and the severity of climate change to how many species remain at century’s end. And that path will be shaped by what social philosopher Erich Fromm (1973) called a “frame of orientation”—the core assumptions, often beneath conscious awareness, through which we each view our world. For human beings, these frames function as filters, determining what we see and what we do not see. Today, two quite different ways of seeing the global food challenge are emerging as scientists, farmers, and engaged citizens struggle to answer the question: How will we feed ourselves? Here I contrast the frames, the first and dominant one—promoted in most US agricultural universities and by farm-related corporations—I call “productivist” because the frame defines the challenge of conquering today’s hunger and meeting growing demand largely as that of producing more food. Limiting the human population is also seen as critical. The second lens is my own and that of a growing number of food and farming experts worldwide. It is sometimes described as “ecological” or “sustainable.” But such terms might mislead by suggesting a worldview focusing principally, or exclusively, on the environment. So I prefer to call the lens “relational,” suggesting a way of seeing that embraces both the ecological and social dimensions of the food system. Its focus is not primarily on the quantities produced but the qualities of relationships within both human and nonhuman aspects of food systems, as it asks whether these relationships enhance life. I first present the productivist frame and then the relational. Worldwide, our “food system is working for the majority of people,” notes the UK think-tank Foresight (2011, p. 36). Yields of major food crops have grown markedly.

scholarly journals Food system sustainability and vulnerability: food acquisition during the military occupation of Kuwait

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 3060-3066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahhad Alajmi ◽  
Shawn M Somerset
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Military Occupation ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Food Acquisition ◽  
Cross Sectional

AbstractObjectiveTo document food acquisition experiences during Iraqi military occupation in Kuwait.DesignRetrospective cross-sectional study.SettingUrban areas in Kuwait during occupation.SubjectsThose living in Kuwait during the period of occupation, and aged between 15 to 50 years at the time of occupation, recruited by snowball sampling. A total of 390 completed questionnaires (response rate 78 %, 202 female and 188 male) were returned.ResultsDuring the occupation, food became increasingly difficult to acquire. Two food systems emerged: (i) an underground Kuwaiti network linked to foods recovered from local food cooperatives and (ii) a black market supplied by food imported through Iraq or stolen locally. Food shortages led to reductions in meal size and frequency. Some respondents (47·7 %) reported not having sufficient income to purchase food and 22·1 % had to sell capital items to purchase food. There was a significant increase (P<0·01) in home production, with 23·1 % of people growing vegetables and 39·0 % raising animals to supplement food needs. Reduction in food wastage also emerged as a significant self-reported behaviour change. Respondents reported deterioration in the quality and availability of fish, milk, and fruit in particular. Despite a decrease in opportunities for physical activity, most respondents reported that they lost weight during the occupation.ConclusionsAlthough the Kuwaiti population fell by about 90 % and domestic food production increased during the 7-month occupation, the local population continued to rely heavily on imported food to meet population needs. The high prevalence of self-reported weight loss indicates the inadequacies of this food supply. High apparent food security in systems which significantly exceed the ecological carrying capacity of the local environment and rely on mass food importation remains vulnerable.

scholarly journals Sustainable diet policy development: implications of multi-criteria and other approaches, 2008–2017

2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Lang ◽  
Pamela Mason
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Sustainable Diets ◽  
Sustainable Diet ◽  
Common Framework ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Uk

The objective of the present paper is to draw lessons from policy development on sustainable diets. It considers the emergence of sustainable diets as a policy issue and reviews the environmental challenge to nutrition science as to what a ‘good’ diet is for contemporary policy. It explores the variations in how sustainable diets have been approached by policy-makers. The paper considers how international United Nations and European Union (EU) policy engagement now centres on the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Change Accord, which require changes across food systems. The paper outlines national sustainable diet policy in various countries: Australia, Brazil, France, the Netherlands, Qatar, Sweden, UK and USA. While no overarching common framework for sustainable diets has appeared, a policy typology of lessons for sustainable diets is proposed, differentiating (a) orientation and focus, (b) engagement styles and (c) modes of leadership. The paper considers the particularly tortuous rise and fall of UK governmental interest in sustainable diet advice. Initial engagement in the 2000s turned to disengagement in the 2010s, yet some advice has emerged. The 2016 referendum to leave the EU has created a new period of policy uncertainty for the UK food system. This might marginalise attempts to generate sustainable diet advice, but could also be an opportunity for sustainable diets to be a goal for a sustainable UK food system. The role of nutritionists and other food science professions will be significant in this period of policy flux.

scholarly journals Food Systems Resilience: Towards an Interdisciplinary Research Agenda

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob Doherty ◽  
Jonathan Ensor ◽  
Tony Heron ◽  
Patricia Prado
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Studies ◽  
General Concept ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Analytical Potential ◽  
The Uk

In this article, we offer a contribution to the ongoing study of food by advancing a conceptual framework and interdisciplinary research agenda – what we term ‘food system resilience’. In recent years, the concept of resilience has been extensively used in a variety of fields, but not always consistently or holistically. Here we aim to theorise systematically resilience as ananalyticalconcept as it applies to food systems research.  To do this, we engage with and seek to extend current understandings of resilience across different disciplines. Accordingly, we begin by exploring the different ways in which the concept of resilience is understood and used in current academic and practitioner literatures - both as a general concept and as applied specifically to food systems research. We show that the social-ecological perspective, rooted in an appreciation of the complexity of systems, carries significant analytical potential. We first underline what we mean by the food system and relate our understanding of this term to those commonly found in the extant food studies literature. We then apply our conception to the specific case of the UK. Here we distinguish between four subsystems at which our ‘resilient food systems’ can be applied. These are, namely, the agro-food system; the value chain; the retail-consumption nexus; and the governance and regulatory framework. On the basis of this conceptualisation we provide an interdisciplinary research agenda, using the case of the UK to illustrate the sorts of research questions and innovative methodologies that our food systems resilience approach is designed to promote.

Agricultural food system transformation and its implications for tertiary agricultural education.

2021 ◽  
pp. 31-45
Author(s):  
John Lynam ◽  
Kay Muir Leresche
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Education ◽  
Rural Economy ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Food System ◽  
System Transformation ◽  
Systems Perspective ◽  
System P ◽  
Development Outcomes

Abstract This chapter assesses the achievement of African development outcomes through market-led rural transformation within the context of agri-food systems. Sections discuss: (1) rural development from a food systems perspective; (2) the drivers of change in the food system; (3) the changing structure of food demand; (4) the generation of a production and productivity response; (5) structural changes in the market supply chain and the growth in the non-farm rural economy; and (6) the role of tertiary agricultural education in a transforming African food system.

scholarly journals Environment or Economy? Food Concerns and Sustainable Food Transitions in the UK

Sociology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003803852110436
Author(s):  
Mike Foden ◽  
Emma Head ◽  
Tally Katz-Gerro ◽  
Lydia Martens
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Domestic Life ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Environmental Access ◽  
The Eu

Recent years have seen the emergence of calls for the transformation of food systems to make these more responsive to environmental, access and health challenges. Addressing how the UK food system may best meet these challenges, this article develops understanding of the multiple food concerns that guide practices of food provisioning at the intersection between markets and domestic life. Combining insights from a survey questionnaire and qualitative fieldwork from research that was part of the EU Horizon2020 SafeConsume project, we depict how practices of food provisioning are guided by concerns driven by economic and environmental logics. The findings suggest economy is prevalent while environmental food ethics are marginalised. The conclusion discusses how the adopted practice theoretical approach, which combines an analysis of the socio-material arrangements of provisioning and the relationship between food concerns and higher order considerations, advances understanding of the nature of food concerns and the challenges of sustainable food transitioning.

Gastronomy: an approach to studying food

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 272-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Maberly ◽  
Donald Reid
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Food System ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Food Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive Knowledge ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Reductionist Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the curriculum of the UK’s first MSc in Gastronomy. The programme supports an interdisciplinary approach to understanding food not yet commonly found in academia or beyond. However, it is increasingly recognized that such a perspective, as fostered by the MSc Gastronomy, may be key in effectively addressing complex contemporary problems within food culture and food systems. Design/methodology/approach – This is a viewpoint paper that explains the rationale behind the chosen definition of Gastronomy, the context that inspired creation of the programme, an outline of the programme structure and justification of content. Findings – The underpinning philosophy stems from a conviction that to address problems of corrupt food systems and problematic societal foodways, a more comprehensive understanding of food is needed. The programme seeks to cultivate this with a truly interdisciplinary approach to the study of food culture and food systems. This approach is recognized as an underrepresented area in academia where the study of food currently tends to be compartmentalized; a reductionist approach also mirrored within politics, commerce and our everyday lives. The MSc Gastronomy investigates how to foster and make commonplace, a more holistic and realistic understanding of food. Originality/value – The MSc Gastronomy has been shaped by an understanding that a more comprehensive knowledge of food is required if contemporary problems within the food system are to be effectively addressed. To achieve this, the programme adopts an interdisciplinary approach to studying food only upheld by a small number of other academic institutions. It is the first of its kind in the UK, responding most closely to the specific cultural and political dynamics of Scotland’s food culture.

Counter crimes and food democracy: Suspects and citizens remaking the food system

2018 ◽  
pp. 367-384
Author(s):  
Sue Booth ◽  
John Coveney ◽  
Dominique Paturel
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
System P ◽  
Democratic Principles ◽  
Food Democracy

This chapter acknowledges the concept of food crime within the current global industrialised food system and explores three examples of crimes of consumption. A variety of acts of citizen resistance or ‘counter crimes’ in response to food crime are discussed. Counter crimes can be seen as a spectrum of acts of crime or disobedience, which have used food to make public statements. Both opposition and constructivist politics are employed in counter crime. Constructivist activities are incubators for the emergence of new food systems, while oppositional activities focus on the current food system. Constructivist efforts involve fostering and building different food systems for consumers, underpinned by democratic processes, for example farmer’s markets and community gardens. Actions underpinned by democratic principles, constitute a participatory movement whereby citizens exert some modicum of control over their food system. Collectively known as food democracy, it offers some hope in ‘re-making’ an honest food system.

scholarly journals Urban Food Systems: A Bibliometric Review from 1991 to 2020

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 662
Author(s):  
Qiumeng Zhong ◽  
Lan Wang ◽  
Shenghui Cui
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Urban Food System ◽  
Subject Categories ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Bibliometric Review ◽  
The Uk

The increase of urbanization is affecting the urban food system (UFS) in many areas, primarily production, processing, and consumption. The upgrading of the urban food consumption structure not only puts forward higher food production requirements, but also poses a challenge to resource consumption and technological innovation. Considerable case or review studies have been conducted on UFS, but there is no bibliometric review attempting to provide an objective and comprehensive analysis of the existing articles. In this study, we selected 5360 research publications from the core Web of Science collection from 1991 to 2020, analyzing contributions of countries, institutions, and journals. In addition, based on keyword co-occurrence and clustering analyses, we evaluated the research hotspots of UFS. The results show that global research interest in UFS has increased significantly during these three decades. The USA, China, and the UK are the countries with the highest output and closest collaborations. UFS research involves multiple subject categories, with environmental disciplines becoming mainstream. Food security, food consumption, and food waste are the three main research areas. We suggest that food sustainability and resilience, food innovation, and comparative studies between cities should be given more attention in the future.

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