Graduation Date
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Sociology
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Anthony Silvaggio
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Joshua Meisel
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Sociology
Abstract
Participation in alternative food networks such as farmer’s markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), and community gardens has become an increasingly popular way to express opposition to the current industrial food system. Food justice scholars often criticize alternative food networks for operating within a neoliberal economic framework and suggest that structural inequalities within the food system are not able to be addressed by alternative food networks in the same way they are through food justice or food sovereignty. The goal of this research is to discover individual motivation behind participation in local alternative food networks in Humboldt County. I am curious about how individuals understand or define their participation, if they are aware of structural inequalities in the current food system, and if they believe their participation addresses the socioeconomic and race related injustices inherent in the current food system. I utilized a mix-methods approach including autoethnography, participant observation, a survey, and qualitative in-depth interviews.
Citation Style
ASA
Recommended Citation
Smith, Jessica, "What's so great about the alternative? Understanding motivations for participating in Humboldt County alternative food networks" (2018). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 122.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/122