scholarly journals Serving Social Justice: The Role of the Commons in Sustainable Food Systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
The Commons

Food is a source of sustenance, a cause for celebration, an inducement to temptation, a vehicle for power, an indicator of well-being, a catalyst for change and, above all, a life good.  Along with other life goods such as potable water, clean air, adequate shelter and protective clothing, food is something we cannot live without.  The global corporate food system, however, allows 800 million to go hungry, while an even larger number of people grow obese.  Based in money-values, this food system promotes accumulation first and foremost, enriching a few while creating economic, social and environmental externalities that are destroying local economies, devastating individuals, families and communities and degrading the planet. What would a food system look like that was based in life-values, centred on the commons and anchored by social justice?  This paper will focus on the creation of sustainable food systems, beginning with the crises of the global corporate food system and then moving to the heart of sustainable food systems – the civil commons.

scholarly journals Centering Justice in a Sustainable Food Systems Master's Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley M. Greeson ◽  
Robin C. D. Currey
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
Master's Program ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Master Of Science ◽  
Pedagogical Frameworks

The new Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems (MSFS) program at Prescott College was re-envisioned as part of the preferred teach out partnership with Green Mountain College that closed in 2019. In collaboration with faculty from both colleges, the new MSFS program was developed to intentionally center social justice and offer students a Food Justice concentration. Food justice is a growing movement that seeks to shift global, industrial food systems toward more equitable, just, and sustainable foodways. Using this definition, students in the Food Justice core course uncovered how forms of institutional oppression prevent certain communities from accessing healthy and culturally appropriate food. This course was designed and taught from an anti-racist, anti-colonial, and culturally sustaining pedagogical framework. The Food Justice course frames students' investigation of the current food system and how issues of privilege, access, and identity relate to food justice throughout the MSFS program. Through experiential learning, students were asked to develop and implement a project that aligns with social justice values. In this perspective paper, we describe our experiences as sustainable food systems educators in making structural changes to the master's program. We share the values and assumptions that led to the development of the Food Justice concentration and course; detail our pedagogical frameworks; and highlight students' projects as a manifestation of the student experience.

scholarly journals Teaching an interdisciplinary course in sustainable food systems: science and history meet in “a world that works”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Blodgett ◽  
Marjorie N. Feld
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Food System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Systems Science ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The sustainability of the global food system hinges on its environmental resiliency and safety, including the health and well-being of its labor force. Single disciplinary courses in liberal arts or science often fail to highlight the overlap between environmental and social vulnerabilities that lead to food insecurity and diminish the sustainability of food systems. This paper aims to present the design and delivery of a successfully co-taught, interdisciplinary module on agricultural labor and sustainable food systems as a case study. Design/methodology/approach The authors designed a co-taught module in which they joined each other’s respective history and science class sessions at the undergraduate business college where they teach. Innovating the cross-disciplinary content of food security, immigration status, labor exploitation and pesticide exposure, they approached sustainability from the disciplinary perspectives of labor history and environmental science to show how these elements had both unique and overlapping impacts across food systems levels. Comparisons between pre- and post-module survey responses, alongside assessments of a co-authored exam question, measured the effectiveness of this module is changing students’ perspectives as food consumers and as citizens. Findings This module altered students’ understanding and perspectives around issues of food systems sustainability. Assessments indicated that students increased their awareness of agricultural workers at the front end of the food system, during production; students also gained awareness beyond consumption as they came to see the connections between workforce invisibility and ecosystem degradation. Originality/value These insights are valuable to educators at all institutional levels who seek to collaborate on sustainability initiatives and teaching, both in the singular, robust modules and in building modules that will lead to the development of entire courses focused on sustainability. The module described here builds on previous demonstrations of the value, significance and effectiveness of cross-disciplinary collaborations; it pioneers the use of the food system as the link between social and environmental sustainability education.

scholarly journals The Role of Healthy Diets in Environmentally Sustainable Food Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 31S-58S
Author(s):  
Michael Clark ◽  
Jennie Macdiarmid ◽  
Andrew D. Jones ◽  
Janet Ranganathan ◽  
Mario Herrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
International Health ◽  
Simultaneous Action ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Healthy Diets

Background: The global food system is directly linked to international health and sustainability targets, such as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement climate change targets, and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. These targets are already threatened by current dietary patterns and will be further threatened by 2050 because of a growing population and transitions toward diets with more calories, animal-source foods, and ultra-processed foods. While dietary changes to healthier and predominantly plant-based diets will be integral to meeting environmental targets, economic, social, and cultural barriers make such dietary transitions difficult. Objective: To discuss the role of healthy diets in sustainable food systems and to highlight potential difficulties and solutions of transitioning toward healthier dietary patterns. To do so, we synthesize global knowledge and conduct a series of case studies on 4 countries that differ in their social, economic, political, and dietary contexts: Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya, and Sweden. Conclusions: No single “silver bullet” policy solution exists to shift food choices toward sustainable healthy diets. Instead, simultaneous action by the public sector, private sector, and governments will be needed.

Multi-Stakeholder and Multilevel Food Governance

2020 ◽  
pp. 60-72
Author(s):  
Sérgio Pedro
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Central Element ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Governance ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
Global And Local

The contemporary food system, in its global and local dimensions, is a central element of the debate on the sustainability of the planet, a debate that increasingly involves more stakeholders and areas of knowledge in the search for answers to the multiple questions related to the attainment of more sustainable patterns for food and agriculture. The present chapter analyses the participative multi-stakeholder and multilevel model of food governance of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), in which stakeholders from different societal and expertise sectors participate in equal manners in the process of co-construction of institutional, technical, and financing measures for the functioning of a given food system. The present chapter has the main goal of sharing and critically analysing the CPLP´s institutional context for the promotion of sustainable food systems as an example of an integrated methodological approach to support the creation of coordinated public policies and institutional conditions to implement a transition to more sustainable food systems and diets.

Agricultural and Food Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Abiodun Elijah Obayelu ◽  
Simeon Olusola Ayansina
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Policy Intervention ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Adequate Food ◽  
System Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Food System

Policy plays significant role in defining the food system of any country, and a sustainable food system is necessary for food security. This chapter maps out the causal interactions between food systems, food security and policy, and the challenges in transition to a sustainable food system while respecting the rights of all people to have access to adequate food in Nigeria. Explicit, rigorous, and transparent literature search was undertaken and many articles were assessed and reviewed. Although the results established a mutual relationship between food system and food security, existing literature have widely failed to take interactions between food systems, food security and policy into account. While food production is used as an entry point to improving food system sustainability, the quest for food security are undermining transition towards sustainable food systems. It was found that without right policies in place, it may be difficult to have food systems that are sustainable and ensure food security. This chapter provides a useful contribution to policy, and research on transitions towards sustainable food system. Any policy intervention to address one part of the food systems will impact on other parts and will determine whether a country is food secure or not. Enabling policy environment is therefore essential in ensuring a sustainable food system and for the attainment of food security.

scholarly journals How Can Dietitians Leverage Change for Sustainable Food Systems in Canada?

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 164-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liesel Carlsson ◽  
Edith Callaghan ◽  
Göran Broman
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Organizational Policy ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Leverage Points ◽  
The Social

Purpose: In this paper, we begin to set out language defining sustainable food systems (SFS) in Canada, through the voices of dietitians, and identify leverage points where dietitians can affect change. Methods: Dietitians of Canada members were invited to a Delphi Inquiry process; questions explored a vision of SFS in Canada, barriers to that vision, and actions. Results were independently analysed by 2 members of the research team who used the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development to structure the data. Results: Fifty-eight members participated. The resultant vision describes a future food system in 15 thematic areas of the social and ecological systems. Barriers are described according to how they undermine sustainability. High-leverage actions areas included: (i) facilitating knowledge development within the profession and public, (ii) influencing organizational policy to support SFS, and (iii) and influencing public policy. Approaches to such action included: (i) facilitating cross-sectoral collaboration and (ii) applying reflexive approaches. Conclusions: This research suggests a multidimensional understanding of food systems sustainability among dietitians. The vision provides some language to describe what dietitians mean by SFS and can be used as a compass point to orient action. Action areas and approaches have the potential to drive systemic change while avoiding unintended consequences.

scholarly journals How a Transformation towards Sustainable Community Catering Can Succeed

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviana Lopez ◽  
Jenny Teufel ◽  
Carl-Otto Gensch
Keyword(s):  
American Literature ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Menu Planning ◽  
Governance Model

Community catering or to use another common term especially in the American literature institutional foodservice plays a central role in changing our food system towards sustainability. Community catering establishments can bring about changes in this context at various levels. Hence, in the context of menu planning, they have a direct influence on the level of meat consumption. Indirectly, however, they can also support changes in eating habits by offering the guest an equally attractive alternative, thus giving him or her a sense of how tasty a low-meat cuisine can be. On the basis of this experience, the consumer may possibly change in turn his or her own purchasing behavior and menu planning at home. With the increasing importance of catering for day-care centers and schools, community catering also has a considerable influence on the nutritional status as well as on the development of people’s individual diet and the later eating habits of young people. By understanding socio-technical systems as embedded in ecological systems this paper takes a systemic view on innovations in transformation domains as the objects of desire for governance towards sustainability. The framework developed in the context of the BMBF-funded research project “Governance model for socio-ecological transformation processes in practice: development and testing in three areas of application” known by its acronym TRAFO 3.0 was applied to examine innovative approaches and actors in community catering and their contributions to more sustainable food systems. A number of studies show that a very large environmental relief potential can be achieved by reducing the quantity of meat and other animal products offered. However, the concrete implementation of this goal is associated with a multitude of challenges, since meat-containing meals are an important part of German food culture. How the transformation towards meals with fewer animal products in German community catering can succeed is an important question in the context of the transformation to sustainable food systems. To answer this question, we analyzed the status quo of the socio-technical system of German community catering using a developed governance model. One of the central results was that community catering stakeholders who have successfully reduced their offer of animal products died fundamental changes in meal planning. Cooks had to “reinvent” meals completely to be successful.

scholarly journals Bridging Sustainability and Food Security Ideas Towards Building Sustainable Food Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Majing Oloko
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Nutritional Security ◽  
Food And Nutritional Security ◽  
Health And Well Being

Having stable access to nutritious and culturally preferred food to maintain health and well-being is still a challenge for many people across the globe. Food insecurity and environmental degradation is rising across the world with interrelated drivers. There has been increasing advocacy for the creation of sustainable food systems to support food and nutritional security without degrading the environment. Bridging sustainability and food security ideas is a step towards building such food systems. However, how to apply ideas of sustainability and food security into building sustainable food systems remains a challenge, given the connection between the two concepts is not well appreciated. I introduce a sustainability and food security assessment framework as a first step for bridging sustainability and food security concepts, towards building sustainable food systems.

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