Document Type

Article

Publication Date

May 2011

Publication Title

The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development

Volume

1

Issue Number

3

First Page

31

Last Page

52

Abstract

This paper uses several case studies to look at the dialogic relationship between the Obama administration and the alternative agrifood movement. We evaluate the case studies based on criteria developed from the agroecology literature and literature on food security, agrarianism, and the alternative agrifood movement as a whole. Additionally we compare the policy tools utilized and the funding levels of each of the cases. Our findings suggest that the Obama administration is committed to tackling issues of food security and promoting the well-being of small- and mid-scale farmers and their local agrifood economies. Deconsolidation of large agribusiness, equitable trade, and workers' rights do not appear to be high priorities on Obama's food and agriculture agenda, however. Our analysis further indicates that the administration views agriculture and food policy as embedded into a broader socioeconomic and political system. Both the administration and the alternative agrifood movement support the use of capacity-building, symbolic, and incentive tools that emphasize community and individual responsibility. Overall, there is evidence that the alternative agrifood movement and the Obama administration are co-constructing a more community-based food system that simultaneously reflects neoliberal rationale.

Comments

This article was published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, volume 1, issue 3, 2011, and can also be found online at this link.The copyright to all content published in JAFSCD belongs to the author(s). It is licensed as CC BY 4.0. This license determines how you may reprint, copy, distribute, or otherwise share JAFSCD content.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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