Participatory Praxis for Community Food Security Education

Niewolny, Kim; Schroeder-Moreno, Michelle; Mason, Garland; McWhirt, Amanda; Clark, Susan

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2017.074.009

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Our position is that the relationship between local and international food system initiatives should be mutually beneficial and respectful, with evaluation upholding social justice through focus on underserved communities and human dignity. For instance, food sovereignty (Niewolny et al, 2017) encompasses a democratic and participatory social agenda-setting process that results in social justice and the rights to make choices. There should be deliberate food system evaluation measures to bridge the social disparities while also addressing historical concerns (Alkon and Agyeman, 2011) and continually evaluate community food initiatives (Abi-Nader et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative learning to promote transformative evaluation of food system praxis

Otieno

Niewolny²,

Archibald³

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Evaluation ideally plays an important role in determining the value and impact of community food system initiatives and movements, providing recommendations for informed decision-making, learning, and programmatic adjustments. Given that community food system work is characterized by critical praxis rooted in deconstructing dominant epistemologies and addressing social and systemic injustices—including discourses and practices from agroecology, food justice, and food sovereignty movements—simple, technical-rationalist approaches to evaluation are inadequate and inappropriate. In parallel with recent developments in critical food system work, the field of evaluation has evolved toward more critical and transformative approaches—including Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation, indigenous evaluation, feminist evaluation, all generally regrouped within the framework of the transformative evaluation paradigm. At the nexus of these trends, to meet the rising demand for critical evaluative thinkers ready to grapple with the complex, dynamic, and contested questions of community food system praxis evaluation, there is a need to equip emerging evaluators with the requisite knowledge of evaluation approaches. To be ready to be critically reflective evaluators, in food system praxis and beyond, the next generation of emerging evaluators must engage fruitfully and in practically wise ways with the complex and contested aspects of critical food system work. Reflecting on the burgeoning literature on evaluator education and evaluation capacity building (ECB), and given the centrality of critical praxis and transformation in both food system work and evaluation alike, we posit that transformative learning theory has a potential role to play in preparing evaluators to meet these challenges. As such, the purpose of this conceptual paper is to highlight the intersections between critical evaluation approaches and critical food system praxis, and propose transformative learning theory as one way to help emerging evaluators prepare to meaningfully grasp and engage with the complexities manifest at this nexus of critical food evaluation praxis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative learning to promote transformative evaluation of food system praxis

Otieno

Niewolny²,

Archibald³

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Self Cite

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“…While the food justice movement focuses on changing policies and systems surrounding food, environment and health, in many cases, universities offer gardens, technical assistance, produce local foods, or otherwise address short-term community needs and goals (Burns & Miller, 2012;Gray et al, 2012). Some also include goals of changing university practices (Burley et al, 2016;Clark, Byker, Niewolny, & Helms, 2013;Niewolny, Schroeder-Moreno, Mason, McWhirt, & Clark, 2017). These initiatives have different impacts on community members, organizations and students.…”

Section: Food Justice and Community-campus Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Best practices include reciprocity, building trust, connecting to personal experiences, finding common strategies (Levkoe et al, 2016), reflection, active listening, and openness to addressing whiteness, privilege, and racial inequality (Sbicca, 2015). In some cases, students and community partners collaboratively establish long-term project goals and outcomes, which can include changing college and university curriculum (Niewolny et al, 2017).…”

Section: Food Justice and Community-campus Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We worked with community organizations to establish project goals and drew on their input to shape our curricular approach. Niewolny et al (2017) also propose including student participation in course design and implementation, which could be a goal for our future practice. The concept of transformative learning from Clayton et al (2010) also sets a high standard for relationships, including dimensions of outcomes, decision-making, common goals, resources, power, and satisfaction.…”

Section: Community-campus Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Community-Campus Collaborations for Food Justice: Strategy, Successes and Challenges at a Teaching-Focused College

Swords

Frith

Lapp

2018

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Community-campus engagement in higher education provides educational experiences for students to grapple with complex, real-world problems, including the lack of equitable access to healthy food for all. In this reflective essay, three faculty members of a teaching-focused college report and reflect on the benefits and challenges of community-campus engagement through a food justice education action research project called Food Dignity, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Achievements included developing a curricular approach, preparing students for community partnerships and community-based research, strengthening institutional commitment to community-campus engagement, and establishing community and institutional networks. Outcomes include that student participants revised FoodDignity a *

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Higher education of sustainable food systems: a literature review

Salminen,

Friman,

Mikkonen

et al. 2024

IJSHE

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Purpose This study aims to fill data gaps concerning solutions and practices used in sustainable food systems (SFS) in higher education (HE). The development of SFS is a vital global challenge in which HE may play a significant role. Design/methodology/approach Literature search and content analysis of found papers were performed. Additionally, the quantitative time trend of the emergence of research connected to SFS HE and the connectivity of content within the research papers about research questions were determined by regression analysis and data visualization, respectively. Findings It is evident that SFS education in universities (higher education institutes) is emerging, and the number of research papers is rapidly increasing. In the reviewed papers, universities recognized their significant role in managing wicked problems. The motivation for developing SFS education was high, with strong ambitions. SFS in HE includes developing education in-house through trans- and multidisciplinary solutions, developing education with stakeholders and supporting student growth to become responsible professionals and citizens. Practical implications When developing SFS education in HE both practical and theoretical research is needed. Ethical dimensions should be included in both research orientations because of the moral complexity that exists in SFS issues. Social implications This study shows that competence in trans- and multidisciplinary working is needed. Concomitantly, the ability of cooperation between HE, business and society is vital when solving global food challenges. Also, the local tradition of food cultivation should be respected and maintained. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review on the development of SFS education in HEIs. A qualitative content analysis and data visualization were used to enrich the review.

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Participatory Praxis for Community Food Security Education

Cited by 4 publications

References 21 publications

Transformative learning to promote transformative evaluation of food system praxis

Transformative learning to promote transformative evaluation of food system praxis

Community-Campus Collaborations for Food Justice: Strategy, Successes and Challenges at a Teaching-Focused College

Higher education of sustainable food systems: a literature review

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