The current food system relies on global industrial agriculture and undermines food security partly by destroying the economic underpinnings of a localised food system. The potential efficiency of ecologically-integrated local agriculture addresses the economic and environmental implications of climate change associated with the food chain. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare existing North American models of commercially successful UA from northern climates and to create sample designs of an urban agricultural (UA) enterprise for sites in Guelph, Ontario. A case study approach and literature review was used to elicit key components of successful UA. Results indicate that profitable small scale, ecologically integrated agri-enterprises require a high degree of technical and business skills. Two site-specific designs provide examples of how a commercial urban farm can be incorporated into the city matrix of Guelph, Ontario. / Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE)

Urbanization and the globalization of the food system are causing social, environmental, economic and political problems worldwide. Rapid urbanization is increasing environmental degradation and food insecurity. Urban agriculture is one tool for sustainable development that has the potential to provide food or related services within or on the edges of urban areas. The goal of this research was to determine the current situation and the future potential of urban agriculture in Kingston. A literature review, questionnaires, interviews and case studies were used to determine the perceptions of relevant stakeholders, barriers and ways to overcome those barriers. Conservative estimates of urban agriculture's value to Kingston's environmental, social, community health, food security and economic dimensions were made through modeling. Study participants demonstrated a relatively greater awareness of environmental and community benefits of urban agriculture compared to food security, health or economic benefits. Modeling and calculations indicated that urban agriculture could contribute at least $190 to $860 million per year in positive environmental, health and economic benefits. Modeling indicated that sourcing more local urban produced foods could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1300 to 14000 tonnes annually for 39 common fresh fruits and vegetables. Urban agriculture could meet the fresh fruits and vegetables needs of up to 76% or more of the Kingston CMA population. There appeared to be 5600 ha of area in the inner-city that could be used for food production. Major challenges identified were perceptions of limited space, limited resources and education. Recommendations to address these challenges are also provided. Overall, urban agriculture has potential to contribute to sustainability in Kingston. / Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-28 14:26:18.048

In this thesis, I examine the factors that influence the introduction of sustainable practice into university food services. There is a growing body of evidence documenting the ecological impact of the conventional agro-food system. Therefore, understanding how institutional practice either enables or hinders sustainable or ‘alternative’ food practice is critical because institutional food services could serve as a potential site for challenging conventional food geographies. Drawing upon a case study approach, my thesis explores the food service environment at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. Two smaller, less detailed food service cases studies (the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto) are used to compare the factors and indicators that determine how sustainability is incorporated into food services. Given the geographical variability within University institutions, I argue that university food services are a contested political space and an important site for challenging conventional food systems. They are also places to test alternative, more sustainable models. I outline some key variables that are currently preventing Queen’s University from moving toward a more sustainable food service model. Furthermore, I discuss the implications of this research for the alternative food geography literature. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2007-11-08 12:33:25.771

Inadequate nutrition in preschool-aged children in an urban indigenous community outside of Santo Domingo, Ecuador has a negative impact on growth and development. Nutritional assessments have shown that children are underweight and that there are some effects of stunting and wasting in the population. This study was conducted to assess the extent of food security in this indigenous community in preparation for addressing two of the Millennium Development Goals for 2015: reducing the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds and eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. An aim was to validate on-site assessment measures in this indigenous community regarding geographic circumstances, transportation, food culture systems and other barriers to food intake. These are interrelated and impact nutritional data collected on Tsáchila families in Ecuador. Mixed methods research were conducted to examine the factors that contribute to nutritional intake. The results showed observed food intake was less than food intake reported on the FFQ. Micronutrient and macronutrient levels, weight-for-height and height-for-age measures were below the WHO standard deviations for Z-scores for this population.

Increasing the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of food systems while making them productive enough to feed a future global population of 9 billion is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity. Aquaculture is touted as a food system that can make a profound contribution to this challenge, but much more research is needed to understand how it can develop sustainably. In central Bolivia, an aquaculture system is emerging that is generating opportunities for empowerment, food security, and poverty reduction. However, pathways that lead to the capture of these opportunities while avoiding challenges are not well defined. It is also unclear how the trajectory of growth can be supported so that aquaculture in the region can sustainably contribute to rural development. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine how rural small-scale aquaculture systems can contribute to food production while also being environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. To do so, a new holistic value chain analysis that incorporates horizontal linkages (gender, food security, poverty analysis, and socio-political context) was developed and utilized. It included semi-structured interviews with 40 central Bolivian aquaculture producers, 40 farmers who did not produce aquaculture fish, 26 people employed in the aquaculture value chain, and 18 aquaculture system key informants. The study found that aquaculture in central Bolivia tends to have a positive effect on system participants and has a low environmental impact. It also identified improvements that the system could make to improve its productivity and sustainability. Beyond the central Bolivian aquaculture system specifically, the research makes an important and valuable contribution to knowledge by identifying and explaining the linkages between local and regional food systems in the global South, and sustainable development outcomes. This research provides insight for development researchers and practitioners looking to improve the productivity and sustainability of aquaculture systems. This research also improves our understanding of how food system development can generate empowerment, food security, and poverty reduction more broadly. / Graduate

abstract: In response to the rapid rise of emerging markets, shorter product lifecycles, increasing global exchange and worldwide competition, companies are implementing `sustainable development' as a mechanism by which to maintain competitive global advantage. Sustainable product development approaches used in industry focus mainly on environmental issues, and to a certain extent on social and economic aspects. Unfortunately, companies have often ignored or are unsure of how to deal with the cultural dimensions of sustainable product development. Multi-nationals expanding their business across international boundaries are agents of cultural change and should be cognizant of the impact their products have on local markets. Companies need to develop a deeper understanding of local cultures in order to design and deliver products that are not only economically viable but also culturally appropriate. To demonstrate applicability of cultural appropriate design, this research undertakes a case study of food systems in India specifically focusing on the exchange of fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV). This study focuses on understanding the entire supply chain of FFV exchange, which includes consumer experiences, distribution practices and production processes. This study also compares different distribution channels and exchange practices and analyzes the pattern of authority between different players within the distribution network. The ethnographic methods for data collection included a photo-journal assignment, shop-along visits, semi-structured interviews, a participatory design activity and focus group studies. The study revealed that traditional retail formats like pushcart vendors, street retailers and city retail markets are generally preferred over modern retail stores. For consumers, shopping is a non-choreographed activity often resulting in exercising, socializing and accidental purchases. Informal communication, personal relationships and openness to bargaining were important aspects of the consumer-retailer relationship. This study presents cultural insights into interactions, artifacts and contexts relevant to FFV systems in India. It also presents key implications for the field of design, design research, cultural studies, consumer research and sustainability. The insights gained from this study will act as guidelines for designers, researchers and corporations interested in designing products and services that are culturally appropriate to contexts of production, distribution and consumption. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Design 2013

Orientador: Walter Belik / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T04:22:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Almeida_AltivoRobertoAndradede_D.pdf: 1405223 bytes, checksum: a95f9422a15c606a6acb237883603b38 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O objetivo central deste estudo é a investigação sobre a evolução, as características atuais e as funções da estrutura atacadista do sistema brasileiro de abastecimento. Parte dos referenciais teóricos da abordagem de sistemas agroalimentares e das contribuições da nova economia institucional, em especial nos fundamentos da Economia dos Custos de Transação para analisar as centrais de abastecimento como estrutura de governança híbrida. A análise do sistema de abastecimento como uma network é utilizada como recurso metodológico para a caracterização do ambiente institucional, os graus de hierarquia presentes e o tipo de relações entre estes agentes, bem como possibilita uma análise das funções das centrais de abastecimento. São analisados os processos e as características da estruturação do Sistema Nacional de Centrais de Abastecimento - SINAC e as condições que determinaram o desmonte deste sistema, visando identificar as heranças presentes, tanto do processo de sua constituição quanto de sua desestruturação. Na parte empírica, delimita e identifica o sistema brasileiro atual, a partir de uma ampla survey. Dentre os principais resultados estão a elaboração de uma tipologia que identifica os entrepostos que mantêm as funções de reunião da produção (local e regional) e aqueles que operam meramente como entrepostos comerciais sem funções sistêmicas. A análise dos padrões mundiais dos sistemas alimentares, baseados nos processos estabelecidos pelas grandes redes de supermercados é colocada como referencial para reestruturação do setor atacadista, através da busca pela diferenciação e agregação de atributos de qualidade aos produtos hortigranjeiros / Abstract: The main objective of this study is research on the development, characteristics and functions of the current structure of the Brazilian wholesale supply. Based on the theoretical approach of agrifood systems, and the contributions of the new institutional economics, especially in the Transaction Cost Economics, to analyze the wholesale markets as a hybrid governance structure. The analysis of the supply system as a network is used as a methodology to characterize the institutional environment, the degree of hierarchy present and the type of relations between these actors, and provides an analysis of the functions of wholesale markets. It analyzes the processes and characteristics of the structure of the National System of Wholesale Markets (SINAC) and the circumstances which led the dismantling of this system, to identify the present legacies of both the process of its formation as its demise. In the empirical part, defines and identifies the current Brazilian system, from a broad survey. Among the main results are the development of a typology that identifies the warehouses that maintain the functions of assembly production (local and regional) and those who operate purely as commercial outlets, without systemic functions. The analysis of global patterns of food systems, based on procedures established by the major supermarket chains is placed as a reference for the restructuring of the wholesale sector through the pursuit of differentiation and aggregation of quality attributes of horticultural products / Doutorado / Politica Economica / Doutor em Ciências Econômicas

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Candice A. Shoemaker / Seed saving, whether performed by subsistence farmers, by breeders at land grant universities, or the seed industry, provide the world’s farmers with the needed supply of seeds to produce food crops annually. This thesis considers historical agricultural trends as they relate to the process of seed saving. It utilizes information gathered from primary source materials, historical monographs, and FAO and NGO publications. Chapter two discusses six universal agricultural dichotomies and how they relate to seed saving over time and globally. The dichotomies examined as they relate to seed saving include: subsistence and commercial, commons and commodity, public and private, basic and applied, global north and south, and urban and rural food production. Subsistence and commons oriented agricultural systems have historically traveled towards commercial and commodity forms in developed countries like the United States. As a result, seed saving moved from something farmers did to either public or private institutions that performed basic and applied research for genetic improvement of agricultural crops. As breeding programs looked outward for better breeding materials (germplasm) the importance of the Global North and South and Urban and Rural locales became important. Based on the results of this examination, it is clear that prioritizing subsistence practices and understanding seeds as a commonly held resource play important roles in maintaining agricultural diversity, particularly for more commercialized and commodity oriented agricultures. This shift from subsistence to commercial agriculture in the Global South jeopardizes subsistence agriculture’s ability to maintain agricultural diversity. Chapter three utilized a case study framework and focused on American seed saving within the Corn Belt from 1890 to 1950. The Corn Show, a common annual showcase of corn seed savers in the Midwest, supported both subsistence and commercial agricultural ideals. It also set the stage for the introduction of hybrid corn and suggested an alternative to the commodification of seeds by the industry. These results suggest that seed saving programs today could benefit from a culture that values subsistence practices while still utilizing the benefits of contemporary methods that are common to commodification. The added benefit of community and diversity that are realized by seed saving could develop a culture of seed production that is capable of contributing to rural development goals. This thesis concludes by tying together its discussion of dichotomies, reinforcing the connectedness between different agricultural production systems, and thus, the need for many different types of seed saving.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / This project strives to discover the most efficient way in which we can connect the edible food that would be sent to rot in a landfill with the people who lack access to adequate and healthful food. Existing charitable food distribution programs will be assessed so as to determine how to create a food distribution event that is far-reaching, well attended and effective. This research will be translated into a comprehensive plan outlining best practices for carrying out a distribution event on a college campus.

Jag vill med mitt projekt undersöka på vilka sätt en produkt kan vara fördelaktigt både för slutanvändaren och för platsen där vi bryter/skördar materialet. Under arbetet vill jag också arbeta med både havet och människan som intressenter.