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Beyond growth in food systems : Cultivating seeds of change

Nedelciu, C.E. ; Hinton, Jennifer B. LU ; Oostdijk, M ; Benabderrazik, K. and Elsler, L.G. (2025) In Journal of Political Ecology 32(1).
Abstract
The Special Section on Post-growth food systems for a just social-ecological transition within planetary boundaries explores post-growth and degrowth approaches that advocate for sufficiency, care, regeneration, and the democratization of food systems. It shows that post-growth food initiatives face multiple structural barriers, including capitalist systems that prioritize profit over ecological and social well-being, colonial legacies that affect land access and cultural resilience, patriarchal regimes that undervalue care and regeneration, and dominant Western knowledge systems that dismiss and devalorize relational and experiential ways of knowing. Despite these barriers, there are seeds of hope. What emerges from the Special Section is... (More)
The Special Section on Post-growth food systems for a just social-ecological transition within planetary boundaries explores post-growth and degrowth approaches that advocate for sufficiency, care, regeneration, and the democratization of food systems. It shows that post-growth food initiatives face multiple structural barriers, including capitalist systems that prioritize profit over ecological and social well-being, colonial legacies that affect land access and cultural resilience, patriarchal regimes that undervalue care and regeneration, and dominant Western knowledge systems that dismiss and devalorize relational and experiential ways of knowing. Despite these barriers, there are seeds of hope. What emerges from the Special Section is the importance of building alliances, fostering critical food systems literacy, and embracing artistic and culturally rooted practices to reimagine our relationships with food, land, and each other. We argue that there is a need to support diverse methodologies and (re)center marginalized perspectives in academia. Ameaningful and extensive conversation around science-making and the societal relevance of academia in transforming food systems is long overdue. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
food systems transformation, post-growth, social-ecological transformation, degrowth, knowledge systems
in
Journal of Political Ecology
volume
32
issue
1
article number
10197
publisher
University of Arizona
ISSN
1073-0451
DOI
10.2458/jpe.10197
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a3cf2430-554f-441b-a87f-c70feb0f3563
date added to LUP
2025-12-19 10:52:30
date last changed
2025-12-19 11:36:00
@misc{a3cf2430-554f-441b-a87f-c70feb0f3563,
  abstract     = {{The Special Section on Post-growth food systems for a just social-ecological transition within planetary boundaries explores post-growth and degrowth approaches that advocate for sufficiency, care, regeneration, and the democratization of food systems. It shows that post-growth food initiatives face multiple structural barriers, including capitalist systems that prioritize profit over ecological and social well-being, colonial legacies that affect land access and cultural resilience, patriarchal regimes that undervalue care and regeneration, and dominant Western knowledge systems that dismiss and devalorize relational and experiential ways of knowing. Despite these barriers, there are seeds of hope. What emerges from the Special Section is the importance of building alliances, fostering critical food systems literacy, and embracing artistic and culturally rooted practices to reimagine our relationships with food, land, and each other. We argue that there is a need to support diverse methodologies and (re)center marginalized perspectives in academia. Ameaningful and extensive conversation around science-making and the societal relevance of academia in transforming food systems is long overdue.}},
  author       = {{Nedelciu, C.E. and Hinton, Jennifer B. and Oostdijk, M and Benabderrazik, K. and Elsler, L.G.}},
  issn         = {{1073-0451}},
  keywords     = {{food systems transformation; post-growth; social-ecological transformation; degrowth; knowledge systems}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{University of Arizona}},
  series       = {{Journal of Political Ecology}},
  title        = {{Beyond growth in food systems : Cultivating seeds of change}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2458/jpe.10197}},
  doi          = {{10.2458/jpe.10197}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}