Gleaned, grown and gifted : the significance of social food economies in productive cities
type: CreativeWork
description: As cities house more than half of the world's population they have become a focal point for concerns regarding sustainable and equitable futures, with the environmental consequences of consumerism and food insecurity being of particular concern. Rather than believe that cities are the cause of all that is unsustainable, this dissertation tenders the concept of the 'productive city' - that cities can contribute to food security and environmental sustainability by becoming both food consumptive and productive sites. Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) offer alternative pathways of food procurement and environmental awareness that could provide solutions to future issues of urban food sustainability. AFNs emerged in the 1990s as a reaction against the globalization, standardization, and unethical nature of the capitalist industrial food system. However, celebrations of AFNs have been criticised for: their numerous exclusionary dynamics, the lack of distinction between various forms and what is happening in the Global North and South, and the corrosive influence of the capitalist market on activist goals. Acknowledging these limitations, this thesis focuses on a form of food procurement that is often hidden or overlooked: urban, non-capitalist food economies. In this dissertation I ask: What is the significance of non-capitalist food economies for food security, sustainability and social change towards the productive city? It describes qualitative and ethnographic research undertaken among three communities that engage in the gleaning, growing, and gifting of foods in Sydney, Australia, and compares these three approaches with the Venezuelan food sovereignty movement that represents part of the transition from capitalism to socialism. Integrating the findings helps to overcome the limitations of class, race and place present in AFN literature. The study reveals that various non-capitalist food economies exist in cities in the Global North and South. In Australia, initiativ…
abstract: As cities house more than half of the world's population they have become a focal point for concerns regarding sustainable and equitable futures, with the environmental consequences of consumerism and food insecurity being of particular concern. Rather than believe that cities are the cause of all that is unsustainable, this dissertation tenders the concept of the 'productive city' - that cities can contribute to food security and environmental sustainability by becoming both food consumptive and productive sites. Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) offer alternative pathways of food procurement and environmental awareness that could provide solutions to future issues of urban food sustainability. AFNs emerged in the 1990s as a reaction against the globalization, standardization, and unethical nature of the capitalist industrial food system. However, celebrations of AFNs have been criticised for: their numerous exclusionary dynamics, the lack of distinction between various forms and what is happening in the Global North and South, and the corrosive influence of the capitalist market on activist goals. Acknowledging these limitations, this thesis focuses on a form of food procurement that is often hidden or overlooked: urban, non-capitalist food economies. In this dissertation I ask: What is the significance of non-capitalist food economies for food security, sustainability and social change towards the productive city? It describes qualitative and ethnographic research undertaken among three communities that engage in the gleaning, growing, and gifting of foods in Sydney, Australia, and compares these three approaches with the Venezuelan food sovereignty movement that represents part of the transition from capitalism to socialism. Integrating the findings helps to overcome the limitations of class, race and place present in AFN literature. The study reveals that various non-capitalist food economies exist in cities in the Global North and South. In Australia, initiativ…
author: Edwards, Ferne Leigh
language: en_AU
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:07:30Z
provider: Australian Catholic University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Australian Catholic University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151084