Tim Lang and John Ingram
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265536
- eISBN:
- 9780191760327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265536.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Tipping points and nudges are favoured metaphors of politicians seeking to make sense of complex topics. Food security is possibly the first major challenge for tipping points, combining the politics ...
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Tipping points and nudges are favoured metaphors of politicians seeking to make sense of complex topics. Food security is possibly the first major challenge for tipping points, combining the politics of population growth, diet, and the globalisation of food production and distribution with the limitations of soil, water, land use availability, and climate change. Food security begins with availability, access, and affordability, but quickly transforms into the economics and sociology of food production, transportation, consumption, and waste, along with diet and health. Ultimately food security is a microcosm of sustainable development, for it captures the paradox of surplus with the rigours of limits in a political and economic framework which cannot embrace either effectively, and which is leading to greater crises of food excess and famine in a world of growing inequality.Less
Tipping points and nudges are favoured metaphors of politicians seeking to make sense of complex topics. Food security is possibly the first major challenge for tipping points, combining the politics of population growth, diet, and the globalisation of food production and distribution with the limitations of soil, water, land use availability, and climate change. Food security begins with availability, access, and affordability, but quickly transforms into the economics and sociology of food production, transportation, consumption, and waste, along with diet and health. Ultimately food security is a microcosm of sustainable development, for it captures the paradox of surplus with the rigours of limits in a political and economic framework which cannot embrace either effectively, and which is leading to greater crises of food excess and famine in a world of growing inequality.
Meghnad Desai
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198286363
- eISBN:
- 9780191718458
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198286363.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
There exists a general consensus for the need of ‘early warning systems’ for policy makers' prompt response to impending famines. But since famines occur for a variety of reasons and a famine's ...
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There exists a general consensus for the need of ‘early warning systems’ for policy makers' prompt response to impending famines. But since famines occur for a variety of reasons and a famine's influence on the economic system is varied, a formal early warning is difficult. This chapter argues that famines develop from initial shocks and the underlying dynamic process can help to devise an early warning system. Past data on famine-prone regions can be used as a basis to build appropriate warning systems. An early warning system should be accompanied by a policy response system that considers factors such as institutional structure, national and international politics, and the recent history of the area.Less
There exists a general consensus for the need of ‘early warning systems’ for policy makers' prompt response to impending famines. But since famines occur for a variety of reasons and a famine's influence on the economic system is varied, a formal early warning is difficult. This chapter argues that famines develop from initial shocks and the underlying dynamic process can help to devise an early warning system. Past data on famine-prone regions can be used as a basis to build appropriate warning systems. An early warning system should be accompanied by a policy response system that considers factors such as institutional structure, national and international politics, and the recent history of the area.
Mallory McDuff
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379570
- eISBN:
- 9780199869084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379570.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter describes a partnership between churches and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker organization, in its Campaign for Fair Food, which strives for fair wages, a code of ...
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This chapter describes a partnership between churches and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker organization, in its Campaign for Fair Food, which strives for fair wages, a code of conduct, an end to slavery in the fields of south Florida, and a voice for farmworkers. People of faith have redefined a ministry of protecting human dignity by working as allies with the CIW to pressure fast-food companies and grocery stores to increase the amount they pay for tomatoes by a penny a pound, in an effort to improve the wages and human dignity of immigrant farmworkers. This chapter reveals lessons that include having faith in the improbable, integrating religious rituals into the tactics of grassroots groups, viewing the church as a partner for justice, seeing the church as a place for reconciliation, and recognizing human dignity as a component of sustainable food systems.Less
This chapter describes a partnership between churches and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker organization, in its Campaign for Fair Food, which strives for fair wages, a code of conduct, an end to slavery in the fields of south Florida, and a voice for farmworkers. People of faith have redefined a ministry of protecting human dignity by working as allies with the CIW to pressure fast-food companies and grocery stores to increase the amount they pay for tomatoes by a penny a pound, in an effort to improve the wages and human dignity of immigrant farmworkers. This chapter reveals lessons that include having faith in the improbable, integrating religious rituals into the tactics of grassroots groups, viewing the church as a partner for justice, seeing the church as a place for reconciliation, and recognizing human dignity as a component of sustainable food systems.
Mallory McDuff
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379570
- eISBN:
- 9780199869084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379570.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter addresses the question of how people of faith have transformed the ministry of feeding by a focus on the environment. The stories in this chapter include two faith communities in ...
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This chapter addresses the question of how people of faith have transformed the ministry of feeding by a focus on the environment. The stories in this chapter include two faith communities in Wisconsin, the All People’s Church in inner city Milwaukee and a community of Catholic nuns at the SUNSEED Eco-Education Center in Mount Calvary. At the All People’s Church, the sanctuary becomes a free farmers’ market after church, with produce grown by youth in the church. The Catholic sisters at Mount Calvary teach earth spirituality, vermicomposting, and food preservation to people of faith. The lessons for other churches include the spiritual act of feeding, the importance of equal access to healthful food, the use of gardening to gain life skills, the centrality of food to relationships in faith, and the power of teaching about simple living through food.Less
This chapter addresses the question of how people of faith have transformed the ministry of feeding by a focus on the environment. The stories in this chapter include two faith communities in Wisconsin, the All People’s Church in inner city Milwaukee and a community of Catholic nuns at the SUNSEED Eco-Education Center in Mount Calvary. At the All People’s Church, the sanctuary becomes a free farmers’ market after church, with produce grown by youth in the church. The Catholic sisters at Mount Calvary teach earth spirituality, vermicomposting, and food preservation to people of faith. The lessons for other churches include the spiritual act of feeding, the importance of equal access to healthful food, the use of gardening to gain life skills, the centrality of food to relationships in faith, and the power of teaching about simple living through food.
Mark Lawrence
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199691975
- eISBN:
- 9780191748806
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199691975.003.0003
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Food fortification is an especially political public health intervention. It is associated with a diversity of conceptual, vested interest, and technical challenges. This chapter outlines the ...
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Food fortification is an especially political public health intervention. It is associated with a diversity of conceptual, vested interest, and technical challenges. This chapter outlines the structure and procedures of food regulatory systems at national and global levels where food fortification is planned, implemented, and (sometimes) evaluated. Within these food regulatory systems, food fortification politics is played out by actors, their activities, and dominant political agendas. The interplay between these political variables shapes how evidence and ethics is valued in food fortification policy-making. Power relationships within the global food regulatory system in particular are changing and certain business interest- and public interest- non-government organisations are exerting substantial influence over food fortification. They are exerting this influence through advocacy and framing activities. Among the political agendas, it is the global health governance arrangements actively promoting public-private partnerships that are most instrumental in shaping power relationships in food fortification policy and practice.Less
Food fortification is an especially political public health intervention. It is associated with a diversity of conceptual, vested interest, and technical challenges. This chapter outlines the structure and procedures of food regulatory systems at national and global levels where food fortification is planned, implemented, and (sometimes) evaluated. Within these food regulatory systems, food fortification politics is played out by actors, their activities, and dominant political agendas. The interplay between these political variables shapes how evidence and ethics is valued in food fortification policy-making. Power relationships within the global food regulatory system in particular are changing and certain business interest- and public interest- non-government organisations are exerting substantial influence over food fortification. They are exerting this influence through advocacy and framing activities. Among the political agendas, it is the global health governance arrangements actively promoting public-private partnerships that are most instrumental in shaping power relationships in food fortification policy and practice.
Garrett M. Broad
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780520287440
- eISBN:
- 9780520962569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520287440.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This chapter provides an overview of the central risks that have emerged as a result of food system industrialization, and describes the various alternative food initiatives—such as adding new ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the central risks that have emerged as a result of food system industrialization, and describes the various alternative food initiatives—such as adding new narratives into the food system conversation—which aims to improve the economic, ecological, or nutritional health of the food system. While these movements have undoubtedly benefitted a number of food system stakeholders, their results have proved uneven. Notably, many alternative food initiatives have consistently overlooked the systemic racialized and economic components of food-related inequality, and as a result, they have failed to promote justice for all. In addition, these movements also face significant challenges in advancing sustainable community change.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the central risks that have emerged as a result of food system industrialization, and describes the various alternative food initiatives—such as adding new narratives into the food system conversation—which aims to improve the economic, ecological, or nutritional health of the food system. While these movements have undoubtedly benefitted a number of food system stakeholders, their results have proved uneven. Notably, many alternative food initiatives have consistently overlooked the systemic racialized and economic components of food-related inequality, and as a result, they have failed to promote justice for all. In addition, these movements also face significant challenges in advancing sustainable community change.
Emmy Simmons
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780813179001
- eISBN:
- 9780813179018
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813179001.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter presents a history of food crises to illustrate the need for greater food security, and it urges government leaders to learn from the past and take action when the next inevitable crisis ...
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This chapter presents a history of food crises to illustrate the need for greater food security, and it urges government leaders to learn from the past and take action when the next inevitable crisis arises. Six priorities for action are presented, recognizing the roles of violent conflict, water, weather patterns, inequality, women, and waste reduction. While considering these factors, organizations must partner to ensure that food systems are sustainable and productive, providing nutritious and safe food to populations around the globe. For this system to work, collaboration among all participants is crucial.Less
This chapter presents a history of food crises to illustrate the need for greater food security, and it urges government leaders to learn from the past and take action when the next inevitable crisis arises. Six priorities for action are presented, recognizing the roles of violent conflict, water, weather patterns, inequality, women, and waste reduction. While considering these factors, organizations must partner to ensure that food systems are sustainable and productive, providing nutritious and safe food to populations around the globe. For this system to work, collaboration among all participants is crucial.
Sue Booth, John Coveney, and Dominique Paturel
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447336013
- eISBN:
- 9781447336051
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447336013.003.0023
- Subject:
- Law, Criminal Law and Criminology
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 ...
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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.Less
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.
Tim Lang, David Barling, and Martin Caraher
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780198567882
- eISBN:
- 9780191724121
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567882.003.0009
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter responds to the collective case made in Chapters 1–8 for reconceptualizing food policy around ecological public health. It proposes that food policy gains renewed clarity of purpose if ...
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This chapter responds to the collective case made in Chapters 1–8 for reconceptualizing food policy around ecological public health. It proposes that food policy gains renewed clarity of purpose if it adopts the perspective of ecological public health but that structural challenges are awesome. The themes introduced in this present chapter are woven throughout.Less
This chapter responds to the collective case made in Chapters 1–8 for reconceptualizing food policy around ecological public health. It proposes that food policy gains renewed clarity of purpose if it adopts the perspective of ecological public health but that structural challenges are awesome. The themes introduced in this present chapter are woven throughout.
Lindsay K. Campbell
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781501707506
- eISBN:
- 9781501714795
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501707506.003.0007
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Chapter six reveals the ways in which civic and public actors working outside the boundaries of PlaNYC iteratively embedded urban agriculture and food policy into municipal planning efforts. A ...
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Chapter six reveals the ways in which civic and public actors working outside the boundaries of PlaNYC iteratively embedded urban agriculture and food policy into municipal planning efforts. A local/regional food system framework offered one way to bridge divisions within the movement and work towards comprehensive change to food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and post-consumption. Within the void created by city hall’s lack of engagement, other figures in the municipal government seized the opportunity to advance food policy agendas for New York City. At the same time, the complete absence of food, agriculture, and community gardens from PlaNYC was contested by civic groups and residents. As a result, the 2011 update to PlaNYC included a brief crosscutting section on food, although it lacked capital funding to fuel the achievement of its stated goals. Incorporation of food issues into PlaNYC was nonetheless seen by advocates as a symbolic and political achievement.Less
Chapter six reveals the ways in which civic and public actors working outside the boundaries of PlaNYC iteratively embedded urban agriculture and food policy into municipal planning efforts. A local/regional food system framework offered one way to bridge divisions within the movement and work towards comprehensive change to food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and post-consumption. Within the void created by city hall’s lack of engagement, other figures in the municipal government seized the opportunity to advance food policy agendas for New York City. At the same time, the complete absence of food, agriculture, and community gardens from PlaNYC was contested by civic groups and residents. As a result, the 2011 update to PlaNYC included a brief crosscutting section on food, although it lacked capital funding to fuel the achievement of its stated goals. Incorporation of food issues into PlaNYC was nonetheless seen by advocates as a symbolic and political achievement.
Jane Midgley and Helen Coulson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781447318385
- eISBN:
- 9781447318408
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447318385.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This chapter introduces and critically discusses the concept of food justice; broadly conceived as the inter-relation between social justice and environmental justice as these issues are expressed ...
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This chapter introduces and critically discusses the concept of food justice; broadly conceived as the inter-relation between social justice and environmental justice as these issues are expressed within food systems. The chapter takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring food justice and builds on a range of literatures to explore the development of this important and powerful organising concept for contemporary society in challenging structural inequalities and environmental problems. The discussion explores the application of justice in relation to urban food systems more generally through focusing on particular actions within the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. However, the chapter concludes that without radical reform of the institutional arrangements and practices in this and other urban food systems the pervading structural inequalities and injustices risk remaining.Less
This chapter introduces and critically discusses the concept of food justice; broadly conceived as the inter-relation between social justice and environmental justice as these issues are expressed within food systems. The chapter takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring food justice and builds on a range of literatures to explore the development of this important and powerful organising concept for contemporary society in challenging structural inequalities and environmental problems. The discussion explores the application of justice in relation to urban food systems more generally through focusing on particular actions within the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. However, the chapter concludes that without radical reform of the institutional arrangements and practices in this and other urban food systems the pervading structural inequalities and injustices risk remaining.
Lindsay K. Campbell
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781501707506
- eISBN:
- 9781501714795
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501707506.003.0006
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Chapter five traces the network of actors and storylines involved in creating, advocating for (or resisting), and maintaining urban agriculture in New York City. First, it describes a brief history ...
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Chapter five traces the network of actors and storylines involved in creating, advocating for (or resisting), and maintaining urban agriculture in New York City. First, it describes a brief history of community gardening as a social movement in New York City since the 1970s. Then, it explores the vibrant material practices and varied narratives employed by a newer wave of civic practitioners engaging in urban agriculture from the 2000s to the present. The chapter parses this more recent trend into its various threads, which range from a focus on local food production, to commitments to food justice, to an interest in neighborhood stabilization and youth empowerment.Less
Chapter five traces the network of actors and storylines involved in creating, advocating for (or resisting), and maintaining urban agriculture in New York City. First, it describes a brief history of community gardening as a social movement in New York City since the 1970s. Then, it explores the vibrant material practices and varied narratives employed by a newer wave of civic practitioners engaging in urban agriculture from the 2000s to the present. The chapter parses this more recent trend into its various threads, which range from a focus on local food production, to commitments to food justice, to an interest in neighborhood stabilization and youth empowerment.
Jennifer Clapp and Doris Fuchs
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262012751
- eISBN:
- 9780262255509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262012751.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this book, which is about the role of corporate actors in the global food system. The book examines the role of corporations in the formation of the ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this book, which is about the role of corporate actors in the global food system. The book examines the role of corporations in the formation of the norms, rules, and institutions that govern the global food system, and evaluates the wider implications of corporate power in global food governance for the sustainability of the global food system and for societal debates over sustainability in the global food system. It also identifies different channels through which corporations influence global food and agriculture governance and examines the implications of that influence.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this book, which is about the role of corporate actors in the global food system. The book examines the role of corporations in the formation of the norms, rules, and institutions that govern the global food system, and evaluates the wider implications of corporate power in global food governance for the sustainability of the global food system and for societal debates over sustainability in the global food system. It also identifies different channels through which corporations influence global food and agriculture governance and examines the implications of that influence.
Uma Lele and Sambuddha Goswami
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- November 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198755173
- eISBN:
- 9780191816536
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198755173.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Malnutrition, in all its forms, is a critical global public health problem. Food production and consumption patterns are also the largest challenges to planetary boundaries. Transformative change is ...
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Malnutrition, in all its forms, is a critical global public health problem. Food production and consumption patterns are also the largest challenges to planetary boundaries. Transformative change is needed in research, information and outreach, political commitment, and financial and institutional capacity to achieve sustainable and equitable food systems. Change, to date, has been incremental, not transformative; however, it is essential to significantly improve outcomes, an issue which will be a central theme of the United Nations’ Food Systems Summit 2021 and the intensive discussions leading up to it. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have powered the recent food security and nutrition discourse. And yet, SDG2 (zero hunger) is not broad enough; it does not pay enough attention to the growing incidence of obesity, as do the World Health Assembly targets for 2025. Furthermore, the interrelationships of the sub-targets of SDG2 are anything but straightforward. Growth in agricultural productivity does not necessarily increase incomes of small farmers, and productivity growth does not always assure improved nutrition. Increased income does not necessarily lead to improved nutrition. This also applies to the relationship of SDG2 to several other of the 16 SDGs. Increasingly, the concept of multidimensional poverty (MDP) has received attention in explaining food security and nutrition. MDP is substantially higher than income poverty, particularly among children. In addition, the chapter examines the relationship of gender inequality and nutrition, gender and obesity, nutrition transition, and the roles of changing lifestyles, food systems, and modern food chains.Less
Malnutrition, in all its forms, is a critical global public health problem. Food production and consumption patterns are also the largest challenges to planetary boundaries. Transformative change is needed in research, information and outreach, political commitment, and financial and institutional capacity to achieve sustainable and equitable food systems. Change, to date, has been incremental, not transformative; however, it is essential to significantly improve outcomes, an issue which will be a central theme of the United Nations’ Food Systems Summit 2021 and the intensive discussions leading up to it. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have powered the recent food security and nutrition discourse. And yet, SDG2 (zero hunger) is not broad enough; it does not pay enough attention to the growing incidence of obesity, as do the World Health Assembly targets for 2025. Furthermore, the interrelationships of the sub-targets of SDG2 are anything but straightforward. Growth in agricultural productivity does not necessarily increase incomes of small farmers, and productivity growth does not always assure improved nutrition. Increased income does not necessarily lead to improved nutrition. This also applies to the relationship of SDG2 to several other of the 16 SDGs. Increasingly, the concept of multidimensional poverty (MDP) has received attention in explaining food security and nutrition. MDP is substantially higher than income poverty, particularly among children. In addition, the chapter examines the relationship of gender inequality and nutrition, gender and obesity, nutrition transition, and the roles of changing lifestyles, food systems, and modern food chains.
Martha M. Matsuoka and Robert Gottlieb
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199778386
- eISBN:
- 9780199332588
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199778386.003.0016
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
Los Angeles has long had the worst air quality in the nation. Its extensive developments at the urban edge for more than 100 years had earned Southern California the reputation as the capital of ...
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Los Angeles has long had the worst air quality in the nation. Its extensive developments at the urban edge for more than 100 years had earned Southern California the reputation as the capital of sprawl. It gained notoriety as a “water imperialist” due to the city's (and the region's) search for new imported water supplies from the Owens Valley, Northern California, and the Colorado River. It faced numerous violations of the Clean Water Act due to contaminated runoff and bay pollution. Los Angeles also emerged as among the most park poor cities in the country, most notably in the low income neighborhoods of South, Central, and East Los Angeles. It encountered enormous problems of food insecurity in many of those same neighborhoods due to lack of access to fresh and healthy foods and a proliferation of fast food restaurants and liquor stores that called themselves food marts. The environmental and social justice movements that first emerged during the 1990s have forced a new discussion about the imperative need for environmental and social change, including the key issues of global trade-related freight traffic and food system policy change. This chapter profiles how these emerging movements confronted the question of how such change could be accomplished.Less
Los Angeles has long had the worst air quality in the nation. Its extensive developments at the urban edge for more than 100 years had earned Southern California the reputation as the capital of sprawl. It gained notoriety as a “water imperialist” due to the city's (and the region's) search for new imported water supplies from the Owens Valley, Northern California, and the Colorado River. It faced numerous violations of the Clean Water Act due to contaminated runoff and bay pollution. Los Angeles also emerged as among the most park poor cities in the country, most notably in the low income neighborhoods of South, Central, and East Los Angeles. It encountered enormous problems of food insecurity in many of those same neighborhoods due to lack of access to fresh and healthy foods and a proliferation of fast food restaurants and liquor stores that called themselves food marts. The environmental and social justice movements that first emerged during the 1990s have forced a new discussion about the imperative need for environmental and social change, including the key issues of global trade-related freight traffic and food system policy change. This chapter profiles how these emerging movements confronted the question of how such change could be accomplished.
Ashanté M. Reese
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781469651507
- eISBN:
- 9781469651521
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469651507.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
In this book, Ashanté M. Reese makes clear the structural forces that determine food access in urban areas, highlighting Black residents’ navigation of and resistance to unequal food distribution ...
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In this book, Ashanté M. Reese makes clear the structural forces that determine food access in urban areas, highlighting Black residents’ navigation of and resistance to unequal food distribution systems. Linking these local food issues to the national problem of systemic racism, Reese examines the history of the majority-Black Deanwood neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, Reese not only documents racism and residential segregation in the nation’s capital but also tracks the ways transnational food corporations have shaped food availability. By connecting community members’ stories to the larger issues of racism and gentrification, Reese shows there are hundreds of Deanwoods across the country. Reese’s geographies of self-reliance offer an alternative to models that depict Black residents as lacking agency, demonstrating how an ethnographically grounded study can locate and amplify nuances in how Black life unfolds within the context of unequal food access.Less
In this book, Ashanté M. Reese makes clear the structural forces that determine food access in urban areas, highlighting Black residents’ navigation of and resistance to unequal food distribution systems. Linking these local food issues to the national problem of systemic racism, Reese examines the history of the majority-Black Deanwood neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, Reese not only documents racism and residential segregation in the nation’s capital but also tracks the ways transnational food corporations have shaped food availability. By connecting community members’ stories to the larger issues of racism and gentrification, Reese shows there are hundreds of Deanwoods across the country. Reese’s geographies of self-reliance offer an alternative to models that depict Black residents as lacking agency, demonstrating how an ethnographically grounded study can locate and amplify nuances in how Black life unfolds within the context of unequal food access.
Alyshia Gálvez
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780520291805
- eISBN:
- 9780520965447
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291805.003.0005
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Latin American Cultural Anthropology
This chapter critiques some of the assumptions about the causes and solutions for obesity using anthropological and historical understandings of class and ethnic differences in Mexico. It unpacks ...
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This chapter critiques some of the assumptions about the causes and solutions for obesity using anthropological and historical understandings of class and ethnic differences in Mexico. It unpacks Mexico’s policy response to obesity and diabetes, including its much lauded soda tax and poverty reduction policies, and demonstrates how a progressive and aggressive policy response has been stunted in ways that favor transnational food corporations, while deflecting the blame for diet-related illness onto individuals, especially women, and historically marginalized poor and indigenous populations. The chapter addresses the idea that better health and wellness can be achieved for the Mexican population through greater education and socialization into healthful ingredients and cooking styles, narrowly defined.Less
This chapter critiques some of the assumptions about the causes and solutions for obesity using anthropological and historical understandings of class and ethnic differences in Mexico. It unpacks Mexico’s policy response to obesity and diabetes, including its much lauded soda tax and poverty reduction policies, and demonstrates how a progressive and aggressive policy response has been stunted in ways that favor transnational food corporations, while deflecting the blame for diet-related illness onto individuals, especially women, and historically marginalized poor and indigenous populations. The chapter addresses the idea that better health and wellness can be achieved for the Mexican population through greater education and socialization into healthful ingredients and cooking styles, narrowly defined.
Ashanté M. Reese
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781469651507
- eISBN:
- 9781469651521
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469651507.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
This chapter reviews the literature on racism in the food system and demonstrates how theories of anti-blackness help to further frame contemporary food access inequities in cities. Building on ...
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This chapter reviews the literature on racism in the food system and demonstrates how theories of anti-blackness help to further frame contemporary food access inequities in cities. Building on literature from scholars who have framed self-reliance in the Black experience, the chapter also outlines “geographies of self-reliance,” a framework for understanding how self-reliance is not simply ideological but also becomes a spatial mechanism. Lastly, the chapter offers “quiet food refusals”—the types of food work and decisions being made outside the public gaze—to make a case for paying attention to the everyday ways Black residents are navigating the unequal food system.Less
This chapter reviews the literature on racism in the food system and demonstrates how theories of anti-blackness help to further frame contemporary food access inequities in cities. Building on literature from scholars who have framed self-reliance in the Black experience, the chapter also outlines “geographies of self-reliance,” a framework for understanding how self-reliance is not simply ideological but also becomes a spatial mechanism. Lastly, the chapter offers “quiet food refusals”—the types of food work and decisions being made outside the public gaze—to make a case for paying attention to the everyday ways Black residents are navigating the unequal food system.
Uma Lele and Sambuddha Goswami
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- November 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198755173
- eISBN:
- 9780191816536
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198755173.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter explores the evolving roles of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and its reforms from the 2007 Independent External Evaluation until the arrival of ...
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This chapter explores the evolving roles of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and its reforms from the 2007 Independent External Evaluation until the arrival of Director-General Qu Dongyu. The chapter outlines how FAO’s adoption of a strategic framework and matrix management enabled it to meet the goals it has adopted for itself, toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG2 (zero hunger). It is a substantially expanded but necessary agenda. FAO has made considerable progress in its vision and strategy and laid the groundwork with a framework to be accountable for results. The chapter identifies four issues for FAO going forward. The first is the old debate on the balance between FAO’s normative, public goods function and the embrace of SDGs to help member countries advance them. Second, matrix management is a challenge that is by no means unique to FAO. Third, a big challenge is increasing resources in the context of FAO’s assessed contributions. Finally, the chapter makes a case for establishing FAO as a center of excellence to achieve a transformative, sustainable food system and to address its global public goods and SDGs functions, supported by predictable funds to be accorded to FAO, well beyond its current level of assessed and voluntary contributions, with expected transparency in the use of resources.Less
This chapter explores the evolving roles of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and its reforms from the 2007 Independent External Evaluation until the arrival of Director-General Qu Dongyu. The chapter outlines how FAO’s adoption of a strategic framework and matrix management enabled it to meet the goals it has adopted for itself, toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG2 (zero hunger). It is a substantially expanded but necessary agenda. FAO has made considerable progress in its vision and strategy and laid the groundwork with a framework to be accountable for results. The chapter identifies four issues for FAO going forward. The first is the old debate on the balance between FAO’s normative, public goods function and the embrace of SDGs to help member countries advance them. Second, matrix management is a challenge that is by no means unique to FAO. Third, a big challenge is increasing resources in the context of FAO’s assessed contributions. Finally, the chapter makes a case for establishing FAO as a center of excellence to achieve a transformative, sustainable food system and to address its global public goods and SDGs functions, supported by predictable funds to be accorded to FAO, well beyond its current level of assessed and voluntary contributions, with expected transparency in the use of resources.
Sharon Friel
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190492731
- eISBN:
- 9780190492762
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190492731.003.0002
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
This chapter identifies a system in which some of the key drivers of health inequity fuel climate change, which in turn fuels further inequity. This process is based on excessive production and ...
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This chapter identifies a system in which some of the key drivers of health inequity fuel climate change, which in turn fuels further inequity. This process is based on excessive production and consumption; it constitutes a consumptagenic system. The chapter tracks the evolution of the consumptagenic system through the globalization of a market-based and fossil fuel–dependent economic system. It describes the addiction of this system to economic growth as the ultimate goal and to forms of consumption that are highly polluting. The last parts of the chapter focus on the roles of an industrial food system and urbanization as two central cogs in the consumptagenic system that is pushing our planet toward irreparable destabilization. The subsequent impacts, from climate change and health equity, of both of these systems (industrial food system and urbanization) are then described.Less
This chapter identifies a system in which some of the key drivers of health inequity fuel climate change, which in turn fuels further inequity. This process is based on excessive production and consumption; it constitutes a consumptagenic system. The chapter tracks the evolution of the consumptagenic system through the globalization of a market-based and fossil fuel–dependent economic system. It describes the addiction of this system to economic growth as the ultimate goal and to forms of consumption that are highly polluting. The last parts of the chapter focus on the roles of an industrial food system and urbanization as two central cogs in the consumptagenic system that is pushing our planet toward irreparable destabilization. The subsequent impacts, from climate change and health equity, of both of these systems (industrial food system and urbanization) are then described.
