Food, sustainability and alternative food networks Session 1 – Introduction Dr Daniel Keech Countryside and Community Research Institute University of Gloucestershire, UK dkeech@glos.ac.uk @CCRI_UK Masaryk University, Brno, 24th – 28th April 2023 611-fitandcrop-890x502.jpg University of Gloucestershire §Small university in SW England §Originally est. in 1847 §c. 10,000 students + 1,500 PG §Specialisms: arts, applied and social sciences, sport, business, education §Four campuses in two adjacent towns Countryside & Community Research Inst §Since 1986 one of UK’s largest rural research centres. Now more broadly based around social innovation, environment, sustainability and policy. §Masters teaching and PhDs §Research: international partnerships §Transdisciplinary methods 611-fitandcrop-890x502.jpg Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 13.41.46.png Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 13.46.23.png Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 13.36.41.png Introductions (1 min) •Your name •Where are you from? •Study areas •What interests you about this course? Together we will: •Explore the changing narratives about food over recent decades. • •Critically consider some public, scientific and policy debates around food supply, production and consumption, including the complexities and inter-connectedness of local and global food. •Examine ‘alternative’ and community food provision models. • •Carry out independent research which aims to help students demonstrate and communicate their grasp of issues covered. • Overview of the week Course progression (1) Session 1: Mon 24th April, 14.00 •Introductions, overview, research exercise. •Changing narratives: debates about sustainability and food security Session 2: Tues 25th April, 14.00 •Urban focus Cities as spaces of food production / provisioning drawing esp on two case studies: De Site (Ghent) and Bamberg (Germany) Sessions 3: Tues 25th April, 16.00 •Rural focus How some AFNs revive cultural landscapes and develop solidarity-based agri-environmental business models. Session 4: Wed 26th April, 10.00 •Group presentation preparations, informal discussions. Session 4: Thur 27th April, 16.00 •Student presentations of food diary and assessment. Course progression (2) Session 6: Fri 28th April, 8.30 ??? (I’ll check the train times) •Excursion to Tišnov. Tour of gardens by Tereza Kuhlánková from Hojnost + work + lunch. •Bring sturdy shoes and coat. Course progression (3) Please feel encouraged to interrupt at any time. Demand clarity. Have you got more/alternative/contrasting examples to complement the case studies? Support one another. Think about Friday – all OK, fit? Dietary needs? If there are problems talk to me after the class (or Nadia). Working together this week Please attend all sessions. You will need to get into groups to do the assignment. We’ll review this process in a moment. Do join in. Use your voice. Don’t be silent. Your opinion counts. Can you offer similar/different examples? What about Czech or Slovak case studies (Hoštetin or Hustopeče?) We have a course structure, but please feel free to ask questions as they arise (use the chat, too); discussions may develop and be pursued where time allows. I appreciate that English is not your first language and that my examples are often from UK/Germany. Food diaries are highly useful ways of gathering research data in fields including psychology, marketing, cultural geography, sociology, nutrition. For example: •Harrington et al. 2001 – comparison between eating habits in the north and south of Ireland •Bellisle et al. 2003 – dietary contrib’n of snacks vs. meals in France •Kniazeva and Ventakesh 2007 – symbolism of food in US •Brown and Paszkiewicz 2016 – role of food in Polish migrant journey Sadella and Burroughs 1981 (quoted from Almerico 2014) – ‘People who eat fast food and synthetic food were classified as religious conservatives who often wore polyester clothing. Health food personalities were characterised as antinuclear activists… Vegetarians were likely to be … pacifists who drive foreign cars…’ Food diaries/diet records as a research tool The purpose of this exercise is to get students to reflect on what social, cultural, political, ethical… values they attach to food in theory. On Friday we will recall this exercise when students present their diaries. Keep a diary keep of what you eat (hopefully started). When you are buying food and eating, what things do you look for, which contexts inform your actions? The table shows some examples of considerations: Research exercise Preference Reason Indicator I buy ready-meals. I don’t enjoy cooking. Cooking instructions I buy the cheapest food available. I am a student with not much money. Price I try to buy organic food. I believe it’s better for your health. Certification label http://orgaiam.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/logo-bio-produkt-ez.jpg The purpose of this exercise is to get students to reflect on what social, cultural, political, ethical… values they attach to food in theory. On Friday we will recall this exercise when students present their diaries. Buying: What decisions were involved in making your purchases? Did you make any compromises or trade-offs? Menu: What did you cook and eat and what decisions were linked to this (preferences, religion, memories, occasion)? Consequences: Consider the sustainability issues of your meals and purchasing in this period. Food chains - human and non-human issues; lifestyle adaptations, tensions. We are not trying to define the ideal sustainable diet but to explore how sustainability affects the ways we eat. Alternatives: What would you like to change if you could? How would you achieve that? What/who needs to act for changes to happen, in your opinion? Research exercise – food diary Example of food diary record Monday 24th April 2023 Breakfast – Tea, oatmeal porridge with honey. Lunch – Vegetarian meal from university canteen: soup, potato salad and cheese sandwich. Chocolate bar. Evening meal – Frozen pizza and frozen chips from the supermarket. Comments – My aunt’s honey. Always buy fair-trade tea. I’m a vegetarian. Just can’t resist chocolate! Quick evening meal, I am meeting friends tonight. Afternoon coffee plus rhubarb cake at new local produce street stall run by people I know. (for example) The exercise is intended to reveal a number of influences on food intakes and purchasing decisions. In this case, fair-trade coffee displays ethical concern for distant commodity farmers; evening meal is likely to be high in fat and suggests familiarity with Italian foods (see lunch). Vegetarianism may be a political choice. Chocolate cake may carry guilt associations, unlike the coffee. Support for acquaintances shows social structures in some market situations. Tues is not a day for food hedonism, or perhaps reflects work-life balance issues. Food diary verbal report This is based on your diary in the form of an oral presentation to the rest of the group. Need to divide into groups. Can be simply speaking, power-point, phone video, excel sheet… all this is fine. But draw out critical questions or dilemmas which you have encountered or find interesting. For example: •Health: do labels influence your choices? How? •Environment: did you throw lots of food away? Packaging? •Ethics: fair-trade is essential; or an apology for neo-liberalism… •Meat: climate disaster; or a way to save cultural landscapes… •Social: no fresh fruit and veg in my neighbourhood; grow my own… •Lifestyle/gender – class of 2016… vegan/protein and changing trends class of 2013 (home), 2018 (cafes) •Economic: does sustainable food cost more?* •Has COVID changed what you would normally do? Be as honest as possible – this is data collection, not an ethical contest. A note on price. Students are not usually rich. Furthermore we are all experiencing food price inflation linked to energy price rises and the Ukrainian war. So these are new challenges for us when thinking about feeding ourselves. But it would be useful if you could think broadly about the role of price. Don’t just say: if I had more money, I’d buy more organic food. What is perhaps more interesting is what strategies you employ to balancing price and your preferences. Food diary oral presentation on Thursday Don’t just describe what you bought/ate. Draw out critical reflections based on what we have discussed. Do you need a structure for the presentation? For example: 1.Introduction: who is in your group? Same/different habits? 2.What method did you use in data recording / analysis / presentation (and why)? 3.2 or 3 key findings from your data (quotations, pictures…) 4.Conclusions about sustainability dimensions You can decide how you present your work. Remember you have only about 10 mins per group. Any questions/comments so far?