Connections Between Food Sovereignty, Traditional Food Access and Community Health in Urban Populations: A Systematic Review of the Literature (A Work in Progress)

Presenter Biography

Stephanie is a senior undergraduate student at Portland State University School of Public Health and the University Honors College, majoring in community health promotion.

After a strong career as a professional chef with a focus on advocating for local and sustainable food systems, she decided to take her knowledge and passion for food and turn it into something that could benefit the entire community.

She is currently working on her Honor's thesis under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Dozal-Lockwood, completing a systematic literature review focused on the impacts of food sovereignty on health through improved access to cultural and traditional foods. Stephanie will graduate in the spring and is looking forward to deepening her connection with the Portland food and health community.

Institution

PSU

Program/Major

Public Health Studies: Community Health Promotion

Degree

BA

Presentation Type

Presentation

Start Date

4-8-2021 2:07 PM

End Date

4-8-2021 2:18 PM

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35589

Keywords

food sovereignty, food access, traditional foods, cultural foods, health equity

Abstract

Food sovereignty- defined as a food system in which the people who produce, distribute and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution- has historically been utilized by peasant farmers in the global south. However, has increasingly been leveraged by urban food producers and consumers in the global north as a potential way to address disparities in food security and food access. Urban communities are more likely to lose important connections to healthy cultural and traditional foods while gaining access to cheap, unhealthy, processed foods which contribute to poor health and health inequities. Common public health interventions to improve food security have focused on food access, however they often fail to challenge the larger economic and political constraints of food systems which contribute to the high cost and availability of fresh foods. I argue that communities with stronger political and economic control over their food systems are more likely to maintain important connections to traditional and cultural foods which can improve healthy food access and in the long term, reduce food related health disparities.

This research in progress utilizes the PRISMA methodology for systematic reviews to determine if there is evidence in the literature that a food sovereignty approach to food systems improves access to cultural and traditional foods in urban communities and further, if these approaches improve perceived or actual community health. This evidence will aid in calling for the inclusion of food sovereignty in the public health agenda.

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Apr 8th, 2:07 PM Apr 8th, 2:18 PM

Connections Between Food Sovereignty, Traditional Food Access and Community Health in Urban Populations: A Systematic Review of the Literature (A Work in Progress)

Food sovereignty- defined as a food system in which the people who produce, distribute and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution- has historically been utilized by peasant farmers in the global south. However, has increasingly been leveraged by urban food producers and consumers in the global north as a potential way to address disparities in food security and food access. Urban communities are more likely to lose important connections to healthy cultural and traditional foods while gaining access to cheap, unhealthy, processed foods which contribute to poor health and health inequities. Common public health interventions to improve food security have focused on food access, however they often fail to challenge the larger economic and political constraints of food systems which contribute to the high cost and availability of fresh foods. I argue that communities with stronger political and economic control over their food systems are more likely to maintain important connections to traditional and cultural foods which can improve healthy food access and in the long term, reduce food related health disparities.

This research in progress utilizes the PRISMA methodology for systematic reviews to determine if there is evidence in the literature that a food sovereignty approach to food systems improves access to cultural and traditional foods in urban communities and further, if these approaches improve perceived or actual community health. This evidence will aid in calling for the inclusion of food sovereignty in the public health agenda.