Connectivity and racial equity in responding to COVID-19 impacts in the Chicago regional food system

Authors

  • Rowan Obach Loyola University Chicago
  • Tania Schusler Loyola University Chicago https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5612-3179
  • Sydney Durkin Loyola University Chicago
  • Paulina Vaca Loyola University Chicago
  • Ma’raj Sheikh Chicago Food Policy Action Council

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.010

Keywords:

Pandemic, COVID-19, COVID-19 Response, Resilience, Food Justice, Race, Equity, Social Network Formation, Multisectoral Collaboration, Community Engagement, Local Food System, Mutual Aid

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major disruptions in food systems across the globe. In the United States’ Chicago region, the outbreak created immediate concerns around increased hunger, food insecurity, supply chain disruptions, and loss of local liveli­hoods. This was especially evident in communities of color, which faced disproportionate impacts from the pandemic. In March 2020, the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) coordinated a Rapid Response Effort that convened people in working groups related to emergency food assis­tance, local food producers, small businesses, and food system workers to address urgent needs that arose due to the pandemic. Each working group met regularly through virtual calls. This effort has persisted throughout the pandemic in various forms. For this study, we interviewed CFPAC staff members and participants in these calls to create narratives that document respondents’ perceptions of the Rapid Response Effort’s evolution, benefits, challenges, and potential for long-term impacts. Thematic analysis conducted across these narra­tives revealed the importance of network connec­tions to overcoming food system disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis also underscored challenges associated with racism in efforts to strengthen local and regional food sys­tems. These findings indicate a need for research and practice that intentionally attend to power dis­parities related to race within collaborative net­works in order to structure local and regional food systems to achieve greater racial equity and resili­ence to future shocks.

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Author Biographies

Rowan Obach, Loyola University Chicago

Undergraduate Student, School of Environmental Sustainability

Tania Schusler, Loyola University Chicago

Assistant Professor, School of Environ­mental Sustainability

Sydney Durkin, Loyola University Chicago

Undergraduate Student, School of Environmental Sustainability

Paulina Vaca, Loyola University Chicago

Undergraduate Student, School of Environmental Sustainability. Paulina is now a Project Associate, Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), Chicago, Illinois.

Ma’raj Sheikh, Chicago Food Policy Action Council

Systems & Strategy Manager. Ma’raj is now the founder of the nonprofit Greet the Sun.

Additional Files

Published

2023-03-15

How to Cite

Obach, R., Schusler, T., Durkin, S., Vaca, P., & Sheikh, M. (2023). Connectivity and racial equity in responding to COVID-19 impacts in the Chicago regional food system. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 12(2), 305–320. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.010