Mapping the critical food literacy landscape
Understanding the capacity for food literacy education to support food systems transformation
Kerry Renwick, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education
Will Valley, Senior Instructor, Academic Director of the Land, Food and Community Series, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Hannah Wittman, Professor, Academic Director, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, Faculty of Land and Food Systems; Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
Lisa Powell, TEG Project Manager, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability; Department of Geography, University of Fraser Valley
Ashley Bangsund, MA Student, Environmental Education Program, Royal Roads University
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
About the Project
Recent decades have bought increased interest among the general population in North America in “knowing where food comes from,” and in particular, in fostering this knowledge among children and youth. This research project aims to map the current child and youth food literacy education landscape in Vancouver, BC, analyze how those providing food literacy communicate their own interpretations of food literacy, and establish metrics for food literacy education in order to build capacity for food literacy education. Furthermore, relationships between the food literacy programs and how that learning is applied outside of the school will also be examined.
Through surveys, participant observation, semi-structured interviews and analysis of secondary data from school and community group program reports, this project delves into the understanding of critical food literacy education mechanisms and will develop a replicable approach to assessing relationships between food literacy education and broader food systems change.
Banner Photo Credit: Martin Dee