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Cooperative extension and food system change: goals, strategies and resources

Author

Listed:
  • Jill K. Clark

    (John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University)

  • Molly Bean

    (Ohio State University)

  • Samina Raja

    (The State University of New York)

  • Scott Loveridge

    (Michigan State University)

  • Julia Freedgood

    (American Farmland Trust)

  • Kimberley Hodgson

    (Cultivating Healthy Places)

Abstract

Recent attention to communities “localizing” food systems has increased the need to understand the perspectives of people working to foster collaboration and the eventual transformation of the food system. University Cooperative Extension Educators (EEs) increasingly play a critical role in communities’ food systems across the United States, providing various resources to address local needs. A better understanding of EEs’ perspectives on food systems is therefore important. Inspired by the work of Stevenson, Ruhf, Lezberg, and Clancy on the social food movement, we conducted national virtual focus groups to examine EEs’ attitudes about how food system change should happen, for what reasons, and who has the resources, power, and influence to effect change. The institutions within which EEs are embedded shape their perceptions of available resources in the community, including authority and power (and who holds them). These resources, in turn, structure EEs’ goals and strategies for food system change. We find that EEs envision working within the current food system: building market-centric alternatives that address inequity for vulnerable consumers and producers. EEs bring many resources to the table but do not believe they can influence those who have the authority to change policy. While these findings could suggest EEs’ limited ability to be transformative change agents, EEs can potentially connect their efforts with new partners that share perceptions of food system problems and solutions. As EEs increasingly engage in food system work and with increasingly diverse stakeholders, they can access alternative, transformational frames within which to set goals and organize their work.

Suggested Citation

  • Jill K. Clark & Molly Bean & Samina Raja & Scott Loveridge & Julia Freedgood & Kimberley Hodgson, 2017. "Cooperative extension and food system change: goals, strategies and resources," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(2), pages 301-316, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:34:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-016-9715-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-016-9715-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Patricia Allen & Julie Guthman, 2006. "From “old school” to “farm-to-school”: Neoliberalization from the ground up," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 23(4), pages 401-415, December.
    2. Patricia Allen, 1999. "Reweaving the food security safety net: Mediating entitlement and entrepreneurship," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 16(2), pages 117-129, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Laxmi Prasad Pant, 2019. "Responsible innovation through conscious contestation at the interface of agricultural science, policy, and civil society," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(2), pages 183-197, June.
    2. Nicholas Copeland, 2022. "Liberation extension: building capacities for civilizational transition," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 859-870, September.
    3. Zhanar Ordabekovna Tokhayeva & Botagoz Zhenisovna Almukhambetova & Bektur Keneshbayev & Kamshat Akhmetova, 2020. "Innovative processes' management in agriculture and food security: development opportunities," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(3), pages 1565-1579, March.
    4. Leticia Canal Vieira & Silvia Serrao-Neumann & Michael Howes, 2019. "Local Action with a Global Vision: The Transformative Potential of Food Social Enterprises in Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-16, November.

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