Voice and Participation in Global Food Politics

This book explores the communicative dimensions of resistance by food movements, arguing that voice and participation are key to resisting the commodification of food for profit. Agroecology provides an example of social learning relevant across rural/urban and North/South divides, mobilizing growers and eaters to contest power structures and focus on social and economic justice.

Format: Hardback
Length: 170 pages
Publication date: 09 April 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

As concerns about the commercialization of food for profit continue to mount, this book takes center stage in highlighting the communicative dimensions of resistance by food movements. The author makes a compelling argument that voice and participation hold the key to empowering rural and urban communities to resist the encroachment of corporate actors and strive for democratization in their foodscapes. Through a critical analysis of meaning-making under neo-liberalism, the author suggests that agroecology, as a socially activating form of agriculture within a food sovereignty framework, provides a valuable example of social learning that transcends rural/urban and North/South divides. By embracing indigenous knowledge, gender equity, and postcolonial theory, this approach mobilizes growers and eaters to challenge the power structures that shape their food environments and to prioritize social and economic justice within their communities, particularly in the face of climate change.

Participatory ecologies that incorporate these forms of social learning foster the co-creation of inclusive foodscapes and politicize food justice. This positive framing of resistance through horizontal pedagogy, participation, communication, and social learning processes stands in stark contrast to the vertical dissemination structure of the corporatized food regime. By taking these vital steps, the book contributes to the movement toward a more democratic food system.

Voice and Participation in Global Food Politics will appeal to scholars engaged in agri-food studies, transdisciplinary food studies, and political economy of food systems. It will also hold significance for NGOs and policymakers seeking to address the challenges and opportunities of our food system.

Weight: 398g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138478343