Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Agroecosystems are highly productive, and it is a myth that industrialization and biotechnology provide the answers to hunger and diet-related disease. “Food sovereignty” is defined as the right of food producers, distributors, and consumers to sufficient, agroecologically produced food; and the right to define and shape policy towards that end. The literature is beginning to uncover a deep necessity for institutionalizing food sovereignty and agroecology movements. This paper asks: what can policy analysis, with a focus on participatory inquiry, do to empower the voices of smallholders, agroecosystems, and food insecure people? My research will attempt to answer this question with the input of the Philadelphia area’s farmers and food movements. The study encompasses a thorough definition of the problems that have led to these movements, a survey of the evidence and alternatives, an evaluation of the policy options, an outcome projection, and a set of policy recommendations.