You are hereby cordially invited to the MSc thesis presentation by Sarah Maguinness entitled ‘Feeding the city dweller: an investigation into the envisioned urban food systems of the future’.
Supervisor: Jeroen Candel
Examinar: Katrien Termeer
Course code: PAP-80336
Date: 19 June
Time: 10.30-11.30 hours
Location: room 2047, Leeuwenborch, Wageningen
Abstract:
Policy objectives such as sustainability, food security, health and equality, that can be found in food system inspired scholarly literature and international protocols (e.g. the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact) are ambiguous and all-encompassing. The purpose of this research was therefore, to shed light on the way in which these objectives are framed in urban food strategies. In order to do so, a comparative case study was conducted on the basis of twenty-three food strategies, drafted by the signatory cities of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. These food strategies were subjected to a frame analysis. This analysis built on the notion of frames as causal lines of reasoning, that are adopted by policy makers to convey a coherent account of a policy issue at hand. The research demonstrated that there are multiple, and sometimes conflicting, frames recognisable for each of the policy objectives. This confirmed the presumption made at the outset of this research, that these concepts function as consensus frames in urban food strategies. Hence, there is still significant room for improvement when it comes to the formulation of coherent, integrative and systemic food strategies.