CSUS Brown Bag Seminar

April 7, 2023 12:00PM - 1:00PM

Natural Resources Building, Room 338


Join the CSUS department for their brown bag seminar series where faculty share about their latest scholarship and research. The seminar will be held in person in Natural Resources Building, Room 338 and online at:
https://msu.zoom.us/j/97715232159
Meeting ID: 977 1523 2159
Passcode: CSUS

April 7th features Dr. Phil Warsaw's talk entitled "Food Sovereignty or Neoliberal Cooptation? Post-COVID Transitions for Alternative Food Networks."

Many of us remember the breakdowns in global agricultural supply chains that occurred during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Empty store shelves contrasted with farmers disposing of tons of produce on their fields were commonplace on the news. During this time, many households turned to local alternatives, such as farmers markets, CSAs, and other impromptu food marketplaces, creating a surge in demand for small and mid-sized producers. This also caused many scholars and activists to question whether these alternative food networks were positioned to present a challenge to the current corporate food regime, in favor of an alternative which centered equity and food sovereignty. In this talk I will discuss the successes and challenges that actors within these localized food networks faced prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, their visions for a sustainable food system in the aftermath of the worst of the pandemic, and the implications for food justice, food sovereignty, and the organizations supporting these movements. To address these questions, I will draw from multiple case studies in partnership with farmers markets, institutional buyers and nonprofits across Michigan and Wisconsin from 2016 – 2022, including interviews and surveys with vendors/producers, foodservice personnel, nutritionists, market managers, and customers. 

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