Neva Hassanein

Practicing food democracy:a pragmatic politics of transformation

Abstract There is a tension regarding the potential of the alternative agro-food movement to create meaningful change. From one perspective, individual and organizational actors working to change the dominant food system need to be engaged on a daily basis in political and social struggles and accomplish what is presently possible given existing opportunities and barriers. From an alternate view, such pragmatism is woefully inadequate for achieving the complete transformation of the food and agriculture system that many movement actors and academic analysts see as necessary. This paper examines some of the issues underlying this tension. It is argued that the “sustainability” of food and agriculture systems is understandably a contested concept because it inevitably involves both conflicts over values and uncertainty about outcomes. These same characteristics make democracy the method of choice for the alternative agro-food movement, and this paper discusses the emerging concept of “food democracy” in order to elaborate upon its practical utility with respect to collective action. The existing alternative agro-food movement is the main source of the pressure to democratize the agro-food system. While the movement in the United States (and elsewhere) is very diverse in terms of organizational forms and strategies, there are important opportunities for developing coalitions among various groups. Lastly, food democracy is discussed as a pragmatic method for transforming the agro-food system.

Locating Food Democracy: Theoretical and Practical Ingredients

ABSTRACT This research was designed to better understand the concept of food democracy through analysis of a particular community food initiative in Missoula, Montana. An analytical framework identifying some key dimensions of food democracy is posited and then examined through in-depth research into a partnership that involves university students working on a community farm to produce food for distribution to low-income people through the food bank and to members of a community supported agriculture arrangement. Organizations collaborate to affect change they could not achieve on their own and create opportunities for meaningful participation by individuals involved in various facets of the food initiative.

Networking knowledge in the sustainable agriculture movement: Some implications of the gender dimension

Knowledge issues are a critical dimension in the politics of the sustainable agriculture movement. Recent research has examined how sustainable farming networks facilitate the creation and exchange of local knowledge about alternative practices and ideas. This article extends those analyses by exploring the role of social location in that knowledge creation and exchange process, based on field research in a sustainable farming network organized by and for women farmers. Different experiences in everyday life may create multiple and partial perspectives from which local knowledge for sustainability is generated and exchanged.