Engagement for transformation: Value webs for local food system development

Abstract

Engagement happens when academics and nonacademics form partnerships to create mutual understanding, and then take action together.

What Can Be: Stakeholder Perspectives for a Sustainable Food System

“…This diversity of viewpoints, however, is not necessarily a detriment to any emergent coalition. If a coalition can form with principles of inclusion and equity, it can generate significant value and have potentially greater leverage in effecting food system change (Block et al, 2008;Carolan, 2006). Our study provides some initial insights into these issues and potentially identifies some critical areas where thinking about mechanisms for cross-scalar change may need to be enhanced.…”

“…The IAD places less emphasis on belief structures, but acknowledges the influence of the attributes of actors who are participating in institutional development: their societal positions (the roles and responsibilities affecting their ability to influ-ence change), their livelihood activities (and thus relationship to others and the resource base) and their world-views (a construct similar to that of "deep core beliefs" in the ACF) (Ostrom, 2011). Both frameworks acknowledge similar elements in policy processes: the attributes and/or values of individuals and communities, the relationship of actors to resources (knowledge and social networks), social location (geophysical and socioeconomic), and the rules and norms that govern interactions (Barthel et al, 2013;Block et al, 2008;Block, Chávez, Allen, & Ramirez , 2012;Born & Purcell, 2006Cairney & Heikkila, 2014Carolan, 2006;Colding et al, 2013;Holloway et at., 2010). We present a composite framework in Figure 1.…”

“…While there is a general consensus on the need for change from diverse perspectives, there is often less agreement over what issues should be prioritized for intervention (Eakin et al, 2016;Holt-Giménez & Shattuck, 2011). The complex set of actors and activities that make up food systems at different scales and places, and the disparate meanings and values associated with the food system, make consensus nearly impossible along the appropriate pathways for improving food sustainability (Block et al, 2008). Any effort to improve food system sustainability must confront sustainability as a normative, value-laden concern, the idea that sustainability is based in both individual and collective ideas about what should be done and what the "ideal state" of the world should be.…”

A University-Hosted Program in Pursuit of Coastal Sustainability: The Case of Tokyo Bay

“…He further extended the concept to suggest a reciprocal, collaborative relationship of scholarship with a public entity that consists of (1) research, teaching, integration, and application scholarships that (2) incorporate the reciprocal practices of civic engagement into the production of knowledge [10]. Such kinds of civic engagement mean more than the transfer of knowledge from universities to the public through outreach activities; they refer to social dynamic concepts, including the learning community, collective intelligence, and knowledge generation [11][12][13].…”

Taking food and agriculture studies to the streets: community engagement, working across disciplines, and community change

“…Together with representatives of many of these projects, we published an article outlining ''value webs,'' an extension of the concept of ''value chain,'' but focused particularly on what the role of universities and other large institutions have in helping promote the economy of their surrounding regions in a manner that promotes social justice and environmental sustainability. The concept is that the ''values'' in the web become part of what the university or other entity is attempting to promote, as well as being an important selling point for the products, and that these values are best transferred through equitable partnerships (Block et al 2008). The Chicago project detailed in the value webs article was different from the traditional extension model.…”