Collective kitchens are defined in a general way as groups of persons who meet to plan, shop for and cook meals, in large quantities. The purpose of this study was to explore the health promotion and food security experiences of collective kitchen members, during and away from collective kitchen meetings. The study used qualitative methods, including semi-participant observation and in-depth interviews to study collective kitchen groups. Between September 2000 and June 2002, a total of 21 collective kitchen groups in Saskatoon, Toronto and Montréal were sampled for maximum variation in terms of: type of participant; structure of the group belonged to; and support at the community and organizational level. Data was collected during prolonged observation throughout group planning and cooking sessions, and by conducting in-depth interviews with participants and group leaders. Additionally, data on the community, and the quality and quantity of organizational support provided to collective kitchen groups in each of the three cities, located in three different provinces, was collected through key informant interviews. Observations were recorded using field notes. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Observation and interview data from each of the three cities were analyzed separately for dominant themes and then integrated together to establish patterns of collective impacts on the lives of participants. Results indicate the benefits of collective cooking are numerous. First and foremost they are social support and reducing isolation are central themes to collective kitchen participation. Second they are educational elements include healthy eating and other food-related skills and learning, as well as some political and social education. Third, for some groups, particularly those experiencing less severe food insecurity, collective kitchen participation might increase food security. Additional impacts of participation include some aspects of community development and personal empowerment. While this research discusses many positive impacts of collective kitchens, poverty and community disintegration will not be solved by community programming alone.

Crop Biotechnology could help achieve a more food-secure world. However, the strong opposition to GM food, particularly in Europe, will undoubtedly affect the diffusion of GM crops worldwide, delaying or preventing the world from realizing the potential benefits of GM crops in terms of food security. This braking effect could deprive the world of a potential tool to increase or stabilize the future worldwide availability of food under a changing or more volatile climate. It is therefore essential to understand how the opposition to GM food has and will affect the diffusion of biotechnological innovations worldwide in order to estimate the effect of this opposition on global food security. <p> The main objective of the thesis is to estimate the loss in global food security if the EU does not relax their opposition to GM food. To meet this objective a market model is combined with a GM diffusion model to create a global food security (GFS) model. The focus of the model is GM wheat, due to the vital importance of conventional wheat to global food security. This approach allows us to evaluate dynamic economic responses to food production shocks, such as climate change. The GFS model is calibrated using production, consumption and price data for wheat. A number of scenarios are analyzed to consider the range of potential effects of the EU opposition on global food security. The results of the analyses will better inform the ongoing GM policy debates, which often ignore food security impacts.

Background: Despite the growing evidence of the positive effects of fruit consumption on health, many individuals do not consume the recommended dietary guideline amounts. It has been suggested that socioeconomic status and income have an influence on food choices and consumption. The aim of this study is not only to examine whether payment structure has an association with food choices but also to assess fruit consumption independent of vegetables in the US. Methods: The 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was utilized and the study design led to a sample size that was n= 19,122 respondents. Variables that were selected for associations with sufficient fruit consumption included demographic data, employment status, payment structure, education, and home ownership status. A p-value of <0.05 and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine statistical significance of the analyses performed. Results: Factors that were associated with greater odds of sufficient fruit consumption included being African-American, education- all levels of high school graduate and higher, all income categories above $15,000 annually, those employed, and those who rent a home (p-value<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that respondents' education defined as having college education was associated with increased odds of sufficient fruit consumption (OR = 7.09: CI =1.86-27.09] (p-value<0.01). Conclusions: Assessing fruit consumption alone did not provide greater insight on sufficiency with the exception of race's (specifically African American) influence. Payment structure was found not associated with increased fruit consumption. Promotion of education on the relevance of fruit consumption to overall health is critical and necessary in the United States.

In a world where food production is sufficient to feed everyone, more than 850 million people live in conditions of undernourishment, hunger, or starvation. Much of the problem lies in the current dynamics of the global agri-food system; they have impaired access to food and contributed to environmental damage and social disintegration. This increasingly integrated global system is displacing family farming enterprises in favour of agro-industrial monocultures, with their associated consequences for ecosystem health (biodiversity loss, heavy reliance on fossil fuels, etc.), and in the degradation of traditional food cultures. Conventionally, the term “food insecurity” is used to describe situations of food deprivation. This study, however, adopts a broader perspective on the issue. It has associated the ideas of food security with those related to healthy food systems, suggesting that it is not only important to strive for universal access to adequate food but also to think of the means and processes by which it can be achieved; that is, a food system that promotes equity and environmental sustainability. In addition, food security also emphasizes the need for a healthy and active life unimpaired by overconsumption or inadequate eating habits. Using a systems perspective, this study has devised criteria of sustainable food security, which serve as indicators of health in the food system. These criteria include nutritional and cultural adequacy of food, physical and economic access to it, the setting in which it is offered (i.e. the “food environment”), and the food systems’ social and biophysical impacts. Such criteria were applied to two case studies: first in Canada (Waterloo Region, Ontario) and then in Brazil (Feira de Santana, Bahia), two very different contexts, but both under the influence of global agri-food dynamics. With this case study analysis, this research investigates the current challenges for achieving sustainable food security in local communities, as well as opportunities and benefits that might be available. Feira de Santana exhibits great agro-biodiversity, a very localized food system, and community initiatives to support local food traditions, family agriculture, and sustainable farming practices based on agroecology. These efforts, however, are hindered by poverty, lack of education, poor infrastructure, and little support from the local government. For its part, Waterloo Region counts on a very supportive government that strengthens local food initiatives and combines efforts with non-state organizations in order to promote a healthy food system. Despite possessing notable local food traditions, its food system is much more globalized than Feira de Santana’s. Most of its food is imported, and much of the arable land is used for agro-industrial cash-crops. This has hampered the operations of the smaller local farmers, damaged the environment (due to long transportations and intensive, conventional agriculture), and contributed to poor eating habits. Although Waterloo Region faces less food deprivation than Feira de Santana, it has a much bigger problem with respect to overconsumption and obesity – half of the local population is overweight with associated health concerns. In conclusion, this study stresses the need to consider food security from a systems perspective, taking into account social and environmental factors. Thus, it highlights the need to promote sustainable food systems, and draws some recommendations for achieving it.

In a world where food production is sufficient to feed everyone, more than 850 million people live in conditions of undernourishment, hunger, or starvation. Much of the problem lies in the current dynamics of the global agri-food system; they have impaired access to food and contributed to environmental damage and social disintegration. This increasingly integrated global system is displacing family farming enterprises in favour of agro-industrial monocultures, with their associated consequences for ecosystem health (biodiversity loss, heavy reliance on fossil fuels, etc.), and in the degradation of traditional food cultures. Conventionally, the term “food insecurity” is used to describe situations of food deprivation. This study, however, adopts a broader perspective on the issue. It has associated the ideas of food security with those related to healthy food systems, suggesting that it is not only important to strive for universal access to adequate food but also to think of the means and processes by which it can be achieved; that is, a food system that promotes equity and environmental sustainability. In addition, food security also emphasizes the need for a healthy and active life unimpaired by overconsumption or inadequate eating habits. Using a systems perspective, this study has devised criteria of sustainable food security, which serve as indicators of health in the food system. These criteria include nutritional and cultural adequacy of food, physical and economic access to it, the setting in which it is offered (i.e. the “food environment”), and the food systems’ social and biophysical impacts. Such criteria were applied to two case studies: first in Canada (Waterloo Region, Ontario) and then in Brazil (Feira de Santana, Bahia), two very different contexts, but both under the influence of global agri-food dynamics. With this case study analysis, this research investigates the current challenges for achieving sustainable food security in local communities, as well as opportunities and benefits that might be available. Feira de Santana exhibits great agro-biodiversity, a very localized food system, and community initiatives to support local food traditions, family agriculture, and sustainable farming practices based on agroecology. These efforts, however, are hindered by poverty, lack of education, poor infrastructure, and little support from the local government. For its part, Waterloo Region counts on a very supportive government that strengthens local food initiatives and combines efforts with non-state organizations in order to promote a healthy food system. Despite possessing notable local food traditions, its food system is much more globalized than Feira de Santana’s. Most of its food is imported, and much of the arable land is used for agro-industrial cash-crops. This has hampered the operations of the smaller local farmers, damaged the environment (due to long transportations and intensive, conventional agriculture), and contributed to poor eating habits. Although Waterloo Region faces less food deprivation than Feira de Santana, it has a much bigger problem with respect to overconsumption and obesity – half of the local population is overweight with associated health concerns. In conclusion, this study stresses the need to consider food security from a systems perspective, taking into account social and environmental factors. Thus, it highlights the need to promote sustainable food systems, and draws some recommendations for achieving it.

Climate change is taking its toll on Afghanistan. Warming temperatures and decreasing precipitation levels over the last fifty years have led to innumerable weather anomalies causing droughts, floods, unseasonal precipitation, falling ground water tables, desertification, and loss of biodiversity. While it is projected that further change in climatic conditions will take place over the coming decades, the impacts of these environmental stresses on the living conditions and livelihoods of Afghans have already been significant and adverse. Among all population groups, rural communities in Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to their strong dependence on agriculture for living. This exploratory research used a qualitative methodology to investigate and document firsthand the vulnerability of the rural communities to climate change impacts in the context of food security in Afghanistan. To this end, three villages in Balkh, Herat, and Nangarhar provinces were studied for their exposure to climate change and the communities’ adaptive capacity to cope with and avert the climate-related stresses. Additional key informant interviews were conducted to learn about similar issues in other rural regions of the country. The study found that climate change has substantially contributed to increased food insecurity in the rural communities throughout Afghanistan over the last two decades and that the rural households are facing real challenges to generate income from agricultural activities while taking desperate measures to cope with and adapt to climatic conditions.

Crop Biotechnology could help achieve a more food-secure world. However, the strong opposition to GM food, particularly in Europe, will undoubtedly affect the diffusion of GM crops worldwide, delaying or preventing the world from realizing the potential benefits of GM crops in terms of food security. This braking effect could deprive the world of a potential tool to increase or stabilize the future worldwide availability of food under a changing or more volatile climate. It is therefore essential to understand how the opposition to GM food has and will affect the diffusion of biotechnological innovations worldwide in order to estimate the effect of this opposition on global food security. <p> The main objective of the thesis is to estimate the loss in global food security if the EU does not relax their opposition to GM food. To meet this objective a market model is combined with a GM diffusion model to create a global food security (GFS) model. The focus of the model is GM wheat, due to the vital importance of conventional wheat to global food security. This approach allows us to evaluate dynamic economic responses to food production shocks, such as climate change. The GFS model is calibrated using production, consumption and price data for wheat. A number of scenarios are analyzed to consider the range of potential effects of the EU opposition on global food security. The results of the analyses will better inform the ongoing GM policy debates, which often ignore food security impacts.

Collective kitchens are defined in a general way as groups of persons who meet to plan, shop for and cook meals, in large quantities. The purpose of this study was to explore the health promotion and food security experiences of collective kitchen members, during and away from collective kitchen meetings. The study used qualitative methods, including semi-participant observation and in-depth interviews to study collective kitchen groups. Between September 2000 and June 2002, a total of 21 collective kitchen groups in Saskatoon, Toronto and Montréal were sampled for maximum variation in terms of: type of participant; structure of the group belonged to; and support at the community and organizational level. Data was collected during prolonged observation throughout group planning and cooking sessions, and by conducting in-depth interviews with participants and group leaders. Additionally, data on the community, and the quality and quantity of organizational support provided to collective kitchen groups in each of the three cities, located in three different provinces, was collected through key informant interviews. Observations were recorded using field notes. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Observation and interview data from each of the three cities were analyzed separately for dominant themes and then integrated together to establish patterns of collective impacts on the lives of participants. Results indicate the benefits of collective cooking are numerous. First and foremost they are social support and reducing isolation are central themes to collective kitchen participation. Second they are educational elements include healthy eating and other food-related skills and learning, as well as some political and social education. Third, for some groups, particularly those experiencing less severe food insecurity, collective kitchen participation might increase food security. Additional impacts of participation include some aspects of community development and personal empowerment. While this research discusses many positive impacts of collective kitchens, poverty and community disintegration will not be solved by community programming alone.

The “Unleashing the Power of Cassava in Africa in Response to the Food Price Crisis” (UPoCA) project carried out by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture from 2008 to 2010 aimed to assist farmers to increase food security and improve livelihoods through promoting cassava cultivation. In this study, 120 beneficiary households of the UPoCA project in Kasungu and Dowa provinces in Malawi were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire together with key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The aim was to find out their perceptions of the UPoCA project, food security situation and gendered differences, through which sustainability aspects of the project were discussed. Using the SPSS 19 software, descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and logistic regressions were generated for statistical results. In general, despite issues regarding quality and timeliness of the seed distribution service the majority of the beneficiary households were satisfied with the project stating that it helped improve their food security and livelihoods. However there emerged issues of exclusion of the most vulnerable households and the low participation of female-headed households which were initially targeted by the project. The study also found out the prevalence of seasonal hunger among the studied households and challenges facing the farmers in growing cassava which affect the adoption of the crop and the project’s sustainability. The study suggested that future similar projects should be designed for a longer duration than UPoCA. They should use clear criteria to identify target beneficiaries, exercise thorough monitoring on quality of distributed planting materials and time delivery as well as put more focus on training.

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