Seeking Food Justice and a Just City through Local Action in Food Systems

Opportunities, Challenges, and Transformation

Abstract

First paragraphs:

Producing social change and supporting social justice has always required multiscalar strategy and action. Federal policy actions can be transfor­mative, but are sensitive to extreme philosophical shifts and partisan conflict in federal leadership. When federal leadership is unstable, local and regional government action provides a critical space for maintaining movement forward and presenting opposition when federal policies are not supportive. 

These dynamics are evident in many spheres of policy, such as housing, transportation, economic development, education, health, and food systems. We can see this tension in food systems today, as federal policies regarding agricultural subsidies and proposals to tighten food assistance programs (e.g., SNAP) can be in opposition to local goals of sup­porting sustainable and just local food systems. Local activities and practitioners must be agile to work within an ever-changing federal policy landscape....