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Dietary choices present an important avenue for promoting food system sustainability. Research suggests that plant-based dietary patterns can have positive health effects and reduce environmental impacts. The Planetary Health Diet was proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission as a reference healthy and sustainable dietary pattern. A Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) was developed for Brazil to measure adherence to Planetary Health Diet recommendations; however, a PHDI has not been developed and evaluated for the United States (U.S.) population. Additionally, relatively few studies have assessed dietary constructs related to sustainability among U.S. adults, including the construct of meat attachment (i.e., a positive bond toward eating meat) and willingness to reduce meat intake. These gaps informed three primary research objectives. First, develop and evaluate the PHDI for the U.S. (PHDI-US). Second, use the PHDI-US to measure American adherence to the Planetary Health Diet. Third, analyze differences in meat attachment and willingness to reduce meat intake by sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics in a southern U.S. population. Cross-sectional data from 4,741 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018 were used for analyses. Validity and reliability tests were acceptable, with total PHDI-US and Health Eating Index-2015 scores being positively associated; concurrent-criterion validity analyses identifying significantly lower scores among males, everyday smokers, and younger adults; and Cronbach's alpha equaling 0.51. The average PHDI-US score was 38.7 out of 150, indicating that American diets are far from meeting Planetary Health Diet recommendations. Using the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ), levels of meat attachment, meat intake frequency, and willingness to reduce meat intake and follow a more plant-based diet were compared by gender, educational attainment, income, and age among 328 American adults. The two characteristics most associated with differences in MAQ scores were age and educational attainment, with younger adults and those with higher educational attainment having lower MAQ scores and greater willingness to follow a more plant-based diet. The results of these studies can help improve the design of interventions by providing a tool to quantitatively measure American adherence to the Planetary Health Diet and identifying that younger adults and those with higher educational attainment may be more receptive to adopting sustainable dietary patterns. / Doctor of Philosophy / Dietary choices present an important avenue for promoting food system sustainability. Research suggests that plant-based dietary patterns can have positive health effects and reduce environmental impacts. The Planetary Health Diet is a recommended healthy and sustainable dietary pattern. A Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) was developed for Brazil to measure adherence to Planetary Health Diet recommendations; however, a PHDI has not been developed and evaluated for the United States (U.S.) population. Additionally, relatively few studies have assessed dietary constructs related to sustainability among U.S. adults, including the construct of meat attachment (i.e., a positive bond toward eating meat) and willingness to reduce meat intake. These gaps informed three research objectives. First, develop and evaluate the PHDI for the U.S. (PHDI-US). Second, use the PHDI-US to measure American adherence to the Planetary Health Diet. Third, analyze differences in meat attachment and willingness to reduce meat intake by sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics in a southern U.S. population. Data from 4,741 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018 were used for analyses. Validity and reliability tests were acceptable, demonstrating that the PHDI-US can consistently measure dietary quality and sustainability in accordance with Planetary Health Diet recommendations. The average PHDI-US score was 38.7 out of 150, indicating that American diets are far from meeting Planetary Health Diet recommendations. Using the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ), levels of meat attachment, meat intake frequency, and willingness to reduce meat intake and follow a more plant-based diet were compared by gender, education level, income, and age among 328 American adults. Younger adults and those with a higher level of education had lower MAQ scores and greater willingness to follow a more plant-based diet. The results of these studies can help improve research studies by providing a tool to measure how closely American diets are meeting Planetary Health Diet recommendations and identifying that younger adults and those with a higher level of education may be more receptive to adopting sustainable dietary patterns.

Food systems include food production, processing, distribution, marketing, access, preparation, consumption, and disposal and influences of social, economic, and environmental conditions. Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) has professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers with expertise in food systems dimensions integrated into Virginia communities. Current VCE programming has unequal reach for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Community health workers (CHWs) are lay outreach workers who are from the communities they serve and can be effective health educators within BIPOC communities who experience health disparities. The CHW model is underexplored in food systems, despite the importance of food systems for health. A scoping review of United States CHW educational food systems interventions found CHW reach to BIPOC communities primarily through education on food preparation and consumption. Garden-based programming educated on the highest number of food system processes, highlighting a potential role of CHWs within food systems. These results guided development of a feasibility evaluation for the CHW model for garden-based food systems programming for VCE, emphasizing reach to BIPOC communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 VCE stakeholders representing several disciplines. The CHW model is feasible for VCE within the current focus on food systems, diversity, and inclusion. Participatory approaches for programming should be used to incorporate the cultural knowledge of the CHW and to create a welcoming environment for BIPOC communities. The CHW model can connect disciplines to provide accessible and culturally relevant programming to BIPOC communities, thus extending the reach of VCE and potentially creating more inclusive community food systems. / Master of Science / Food systems encompass all processes from food production to disposal and are influenced by social, economic, and environmental conditions in which food travels from farm to fork. Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) provides outreach to Virginia communities by disseminating research-based information through professionals and volunteers in educational programming for topics that include agriculture, gardening, nutrition, and more. Community health workers (CHWs) are public health educators who serve Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to mitigate health disparities that are exacerbated by unequal distribution of resources within food systems. CHWs are from the communities they serve and thus are uniquely positioned as culturally sensitive educators. This thesis aimed to explore the role of CHWs in food systems education and to evaluate the feasibility of the CHW model for garden-based food systems programming for VCE. A scoping review of U.S.-based food systems interventions found that CHWs have reached BIPOC communities for food systems education that focuses on preparation and consumption of food, but the CHW model has not been widely documented in broad-lens food systems educational programming. Garden-based programs educated on the greatest number of food systems processes. Interviews with 29 VCE stakeholders showed that the CHW model is feasible within the structure and values of VCE. The CHW model can connect traditionally separate disciplines to provide accessible and culturally relevant programming to BIPOC communities, thus extending the reach of VCE and potentially creating more inclusive community food systems.

Ohio is one of the largest agricultural producers in the United States and yet Ohioans experience food insecurity at a rate two percent higher than the national average. An analysis of Ohio's agricultural sector in relation to the current global food system suggests that the neoliberal imaginary orders social and ecological relations at both the international and domestic levels. This ordering perpetuates and justifies the continued exploitation of both labor and land and is based on ontological separation of human and ecological systems. This imaginary has given rise to the framework of food security, which has become the singular framework under which solutions to food and climate challenges are outlined by both local policy makers and major development and agricultural organizations. This effectively limits the possible solutions to only those solutions that fit within this imaginary. In considering the continued prevalence of food insecurity in both national and international contexts, it is necessary to explore other avenues for proposing solutions to the current food challenges, which will only grow as the impacts of climate change worsen. Food sovereignty, more specifically urban food sovereignty, offers an alternative ontological framework that expands the realm of possible solutions to food insecurity as a feature of the food sovereignty movement's recognition of multiple ways of being. / Master of Arts / Ohio is one of the largest agricultural producers in the United States and yet, Ohioans experience food insecurity at a rate two percent higher than the national average. An analysis of Ohio's agricultural development in relation to the rise of the current global food system illustrates the ideological connections between the two systems, and the dependencies of these systems on the continued exploitation of both land and labor. Thus, these systems and the food security framework that has arisen from the same ideology or imaginary, can only provide limited solutions to food insecurity at the national or international level. The solutions that have been proposed and implemented under the security framework maintain dependency and vulnerability of insecure populations. As the impacts from climate change worsen and threaten to disrupt food systems, there is the need to move away from the food security framework towards a framework of food sovereignty and the incorporation of urban spaces into the solutions proposed.

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The incorporation of consumption-oriented activities into rural space can be observed in the appearance of newly valued rural amenities and the increasing frequency and popularity of culinary tourism destination marketing. In exploring the relationships between local food and culinary tourism, this research sought to better understand the impact of culinary tourism on the production and consumption of local food in Prince Edward County, ON. Interviews revealed that opportunities presented by culinary tourism are a prime motivation for restaurants to engage in the local food system, and that local food producers are less tied to their restaurant linkages than to alternative marketing channels owing to high levels of product substitutability and the opportunity costs associated with direct exchange. Additionally, it was observed that culinary tourism both inherently and paradoxically contributes to expansion of local food systems beyond regional boundaries, giving rise to a discussion on the positioning of local food as an alternative or complementary component to the globalized food system.

Over the past decade, concerns regarding food safety and access to and control over food have become widespread in South Korea and are often associated with concerns over the global agri-food system. Large consumer cooperatives that have memberships that can exceed 800,000 members have emerged as a popular and effective way of addressing these concerns. Yet, these important alternatives to the global agri-food system have received little attention by researchers and policymakers alike. This study investigated attitudes towards an ongoing agricultural and rural crisis and food concerns for consumers and farmers in South Korea. Further, the roles of consumer cooperatives in addressing this crisis and as an alternative to the global food system were documented. Surveys were conducted with 412 conventional consumers and 452 consumers that were members of consumer cooperatives as well as 166 conventional farmers, and 118 farmers that grow food for these cooperatives. In addition, 11 Korean food experts that reflect a wide diversity of stakeholder interests including government, NGO, universities and farmers were also interviewed. Korean consumers identified that freshness was the most important factor when they purchase foods, followed by food safety and price. It seemed that the global agri-food system is unlikely to address these consumer concerns. Public rallies that raised concerns about the import of beef from the US reflected widespread public resistance to agricultural globalization and the pursuit of economic liberalization by the Korean government. Participants perceived that government policies neglected domestic agriculture and were the primary cause of low rate of food self-sufficiency in Korea. Both conventional farmers and member farmers strongly opposed policies that promote industrial economic growth at the expense of local farmers and food systems. Farmers in this study were generally highly critical of the global agri-food system, especially those that were relatively young and well educated. Member farmers benefitted from their relationships with consumer cooperatives, and earned an 11-30% premium compared to farmers that sell their products to large retail markets. Korean consumer cooperatives represent an important frame for building alternative food systems and for promoting cooperation between consumers and farmers into the future. / February 2016

This practicum project examines the long-standing association between the domestic realm and gendered space as well as issues that have emerged in urban areas, such as poor access to healthy food options. Drawing on utopian concepts that have challenged conventional forms of residential development and the organization of domestic functions and spaces, it proposes the adaptive reuse of the Royal Albert Arms Hotel in Winnipeg. Concerned with the design of a model of housing that features a communal kitchen and dining facility, among other shared spaces, this project investigates the potential of such common rooms as a means to foster a sense of community within the building. In doing so, it explores how interior design can reimagine domestic space in a more proactive and socially conscious manner, improving the quality of life for inhabitants in the context of their homes, and more broadly, the city. / May 2017