Including the Voices of Communities in Food Insecurity Research: An Empowerment-based Agenda for Food Scholarship

Authors

  • Adam M. Pine University of Minnesota, Duluth
  • Rebecca de Souza University of Minnesota, Duluth

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2013.034.007

Keywords:

Community-Based Participatory Research, Food Insecurity, Marginalization

Abstract

The disempowering manner in which "hungry people" are portrayed in public discourse and the dehumanizing way in which they are treated when they try to provision for themselves demand that scholars create counter frames to subvert the existing portrayal of those experiencing food insecurity. In this paper, we call for a program of research that uses participatory research methodologies to invite, recognize, and represent the voices of people experiencing food insecurity. We argue for an expanded program of food scholarship that places the experiences, needs, and voices of people experiencing food insecurity in the foreground. Such a program is needed in order to better understand the lived reality of food insecurity, how interventions can be designed for communities as partners in research rather than objects of investigation, and how communities can mobilize themselves for broader environmental change.

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Author Biographies

Adam M. Pine, University of Minnesota, Duluth

Assistant Professor, Geography, Urban, Environment & Sustainability Studies; 317 Cina Hall, 1123 University Drive; Duluth, Minnesota 55812 USA; +1-218-726-8474.

Rebecca de Souza, University of Minnesota, Duluth

Assistant Professor, Department of Communication; 415 A. B. Anderson Hall, 1121 University Drive; Duluth, Minnesota 55812 USA; +1-218-726-6616.

Published

2013-08-05

How to Cite

Pine, A. M., & de Souza, R. (2013). Including the Voices of Communities in Food Insecurity Research: An Empowerment-based Agenda for Food Scholarship. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 3(4), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2013.034.007