Equitable food value chains through collaborative action [in an inequitable landscape]

Insights from Buffalo, New York

Abstract

There is growing scholarly and practitioner interest in applying collective and place-based efforts to create equitable food systems. Drawing on com­munity coalition action theory (CCAT), this paper explores the potential for enhancing food equity through collaborative action across the food value chain. Through a case study of a collaborative initi­ative to promote equitable food systems, this paper documents the possibilities and pitfalls of collabo­rative, cohort-based efforts within the inequitable landscape of Buffalo, New York (NY). The paper relies on mixed-methods data that include key informant interviews, participant observations, and surveys of organizations that participated in the Buffalo Community Food System Grant program. Corroborating prior research, we find that initia­tives that seek to foster collective action offer unique possibilities for food equity, as well as some key limitations, especially within the context of a racialized food environment. Strengthening food systems by investing in relationships across food value chains opens new avenues for collec­tive action. To promote food equity, new forms of collective action, including functional relationships across the value chain, must address deeper struc­tural imbalances in the food system, such as those resulting from structural racism.