My Avatar

Keyword:
Food Security

The purpose of my avatar is to represent the transformation of global food systems through technology, communication, and sustainability. The central design—a bowl filled with representations of soil, 3D-printed globes, and handcrafted crop models—symbolizes the interconnected nature of food security. The paperboard crops, with plant-representative colors mapped onto the globe, emphasize regional diversity and highlight the global challenges of equitable food distribution. By exploring tools like precision agriculture, data mapping, and innovative storytelling, I aim to address systemic issues like waste, accessibility, and climate resilience. My work is rooted in the belief that sustainable food systems require creative solutions, collaboration, and a reimagining of cultural narratives.

My Update

In my updated avatar design, I’ve incorporated clay-made crop models alongside the paperboard ones. This addition aims to bring a tactile, three-dimensional element to the representation of food systems, emphasizing the tangible, hands-on connection we have with agriculture and the earth. The clay models symbolize the resilience and adaptability of food systems, while adding depth and variety to the visualization of crops. By combining natural textures with the precision of 3D printing and vibrant plant-representative colors, the updated design further highlights the interplay between traditional practices and modern innovations in addressing food security challenges.

My avatar compared to a 335ml can of Red Bull drink

Annotated Bibliography

Béné, C. (2022). Why the Great Food Transformation may not happen–A deep-dive into our food systems’ political economy, controversies and politics of evidence. World Development154, 105881. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X22000717

Béné critically analyzes structural constraints for large-scale transformations of the food systems, focusing on political and economic factors. This analysis indicates that already existing power constellations impede systemic change and therefore is most relevant for policy implementation related to food security. The paper addresses the critical evidencing that frames policy debates and thus aligns well with the ethical questions of sustainable diets and food access.

 

Fârte, G. I., & Obadă, D. R. (2021). The effects of fake news on consumers’ brand trust: An exploratory study in the food security context. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations23(3), 47-61. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1038714

This study shows how misinformation influences food brand trust in consumers and thus affects the perception of food security. This study shows the hammering of public confidence through rising fake news on food systems, exacerbating the situation of food insecurity. The information will help explain the social dimensions of food security in today's era of misinformation.

 

Fernandez-Wulff, P. (2020). Municipalities, social innovations, and the co-development of localized food rights. Sustainability and Law: General and Specific Aspects, 689-707. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-42630-9_33

Fernandez-Wulff addresses how municipalities play a role in promoting localized food rights through social innovations. This work illustrates community-based approaches to food security, providing a counterpoint to centralized food policies. It is valuable for understanding the importance of grassroots initiatives in fostering food sovereignty.

 

Gasper, D. (2023). Amartya Sen as a social and political theorist–on personhood, democracy, and ‘description as choice’. Journal of Global Ethics19(3), 386-409. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449626.2023.2255600

Gasper explores Sen’s contributions to ethical theory and personhood, which underpin his entitlement approach to food security. The article delves into how Sen’s ideas on democracy and choice inform debates on individual rights to food. It is foundational for understanding Sen’s impact on food security policies from a human rights perspective.

 

Gilardone, M. (2021). The influence of Sen’s applied economics on his non-welfarist approach to justice. Welfare Theory, Public Action, and Ethical Values: Revisiting the History of Welfare Economics1977, 298. 

This paper analyzes Sen’s non-welfarist approach to justice, particularly its application to food entitlement. Gilardone discusses Sen’s departure from traditional welfare economics, highlighting his focus on capabilities rather than purely economic measures. The text supports arguments for prioritizing food access as a right rather than a commodity.

 

Kerr, W. A., & Hobbs, J. E. (2022). Is the quest to eat healthy a route to enhancing consumer’s food security?. Agriculture & Food Security11(1), 1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40066-021-00340-7

Kerr and Hobbs assess the relationship between healthy eating and food security, arguing that nutrition security is a key component of food security. They examine consumer choices and barriers to accessing nutritious foods. The work adds to debates on how health-focused initiatives intersect with food security goals.

Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). The communist manifesto: Penguin classics. London: Penguin.

It is imperative to review the basic premises of capitalism and this manifesto seems to offer a starting point from which to grapple with economical systems’ dynamics and their consequences on distribution of food and equitable access thereto. The argument of Marx and Engels on class differentiation provides a lens to understand the systemic issues within the fulfilment of food security. This piece of work is useful in supporting the discussions on food justice from a socio economic perspective.

Muzerengi, T., Khalema, E. N., & Zivenge, E. (2021). The synergistic relationship between Amartya Sen entitlement theory and the systems theory in developing a food security implementation model in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies13(1), 1-7. 

This research uses senior’s entitlement theorem in partnership with the system theorem in the context of food insecurity in a particular region. In accumulating a conceptual framework for the improvement of food distribution in Zimbabwe, Muzerengi and colleagues argue for the contextualization of Sen’s ideas. This is important for knowing how entitlement theory works in solving real life problems in various fields.

Motta, R. (2021). Food for Justice: Power, Politics, and Food Inequalities in a Bioeconomy: Preliminary Research Program. https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/32086

Motta discusses power relations and justice in bioeconomic food systems discussing justice-based responses to inequalities. This program provides a basis for analyzing food justice in settings where economic approaches to resource allocation are feasible. It is valuable for the appreciation of how policy interventional can reduce inequities in food availability.

Ribeiro, B. (2020). Sustainability Transitions in New Zealand: Mainstreaming Alternative Food Values (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland). https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/53687 

Ribeiro’s dissertation examines how New Zealand has attempted at mainstreaming post-carbon agro-food values in sustainability transitions, focusing on local food. The interconnections of cultural practices in relation to food security and the difficulties of incorporating the sustainability paradigm in mainstream food policies are also explored in the work.

Sodano, V., & Gorgitano, M. T. (2022). Framing political issues in food system transformative Changes. Social Sciences11(10), 459. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/10/459

Sodano and Gorgitano analyze how political discourse shapes public perceptions of food system transformation, particularly focusing on sustainability and resilience. The paper identifies key themes in political narratives that influence policy decisions. It is useful for understanding the role of framing in the push for sustainable food systems.

FFârte, G. I., & Obadă, D. R. (2021). The effects of fake news on consumers’ brand trust: An exploratory study in the food security context. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 23(3)(47-61). https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1038714

This study shows how misinformation influences food brand trust in consumers and thus affects the perception of food security. This study shows the hammering of public confidence through rising fake news on food systems, exacerbating the situation of food insecurity. The information will help explain the social dimensions of food security in today's era of misinformation.

 

Fernandez-Wulff, P. (2020). Municipalities, social innovations, and the co-development of localized food rights. Sustainability and Law: General and Specific Aspects, (689-707). https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-42630-9_33

Fernandez-Wulff addresses how municipalities play a role in promoting localized food rights through social innovations. This work illustrates community-based approaches to food security, providing a counterpoint to centralized food policies. It is valuable for understanding the importance of grassroots initiatives in fostering food sovereignty.

 

Gasper, D. (2023). Amartya Sen as a social and political theorist–on personhood, democracy, and ‘description as choice’. Journal of Global Ethics, 19(3)(386-409). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449626.2023.2255600

Gasper explores Sen’s contributions to ethical theory and personhood, which underpin his entitlement approach to food security. The article delves into how Sen’s ideas on democracy and choice inform debates on individual rights to food. It is foundational for understanding Sen’s impact on food security policies from a human rights perspective.

 

Gilardone, M. (2021). The influence of Sen’s applied economics on his non-welfarist approach to justice. Welfare Theory, Public Action, and Ethical Values: Revisiting the History of Welfare Economics, (298).

This paper analyzes Sen’s non-welfarist approach to justice, particularly its application to food entitlement. Gilardone discusses Sen’s departure from traditional welfare economics, highlighting his focus on capabilities rather than purely economic measures. The text supports arguments for prioritizing food access as a right rather than a commodity.

 

Kerr, W. A., & Hobbs, J. E. (2022). Is the quest to eat healthy a route to enhancing consumer’s food security?. Agriculture & Food Security, 11(1)(1). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40066-021-00340-7

Kerr and Hobbs assess the relationship between healthy eating and food security, arguing that nutrition security is a key component of food security. They examine consumer choices and barriers to accessing nutritious foods. The work adds to debates on how health-focused initiatives intersect with food security goals.

 

Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). The communist manifesto: Penguin classics. ().

It is imperative to review the basic premises of capitalism and this manifesto seems to offer a starting point from which to grapple with economical systems’ dynamics and their consequences on distribution of food and equitable access thereto. The argument of Marx and Engels on class differentiation provides a lens to understand the systemic issues within the fulfilment of food security. This piece of work is useful in supporting the discussions on food justice from a socio-economical perspective.

Ragkousis, A. (2024). Amartya Sen as a neoclassical economist. Journal of Economic issues58(1), 24-58. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00213624.2024.2307785

In extolling Amartya Sen’s contributions, Ragkousis does a neoclassical take on the man’s work, comparing and contrasting it to orthodox economic models. Analyzing the article helps to better understand that Sen mostly focused on capabilities and justice instead of economic results. Thus, it is useful for constructing Sen’s position in the matter of economic consideration on food security.

Sonnino, R., & Coulson, H. (2021). Unpacking the new urban food agenda: The changing dynamics of global governance in the urban age. Urban Studies58(5), 1032-1049. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0042098020942036

Sonnino Bonaventura, Coulson Annude look at the place of cities in global food regulation concerning the issues and problems within urban food systems. The authors, using their lens of inquiry, demonstrate how urban centres are emerging as key players in food security interventions. This article becomes crucial for grasping how urban planning and food policy interact in urban worlds globally.

Sodano, V., & Gorgitano, M. T. (2022). Framing political issues in food system transformative Changes. Social Sciences11(10), 459. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/10/459

Sodano and Gorgitano analyze how political discourse shapes public perceptions of food system transformation, particularly focusing on sustainability and resilience. The paper identifies key themes in political narratives that influence policy decisions. It is useful for understanding the role of framing in the push for sustainable food systems.

Weber, E. J. W. (2021). Navigating narratives toward the health-sustainability nexus: Oslo's prescriptions for healthy and sustainable diets (Master's thesis, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås). https://nmbu.brage.unit.no/nmbu-xmlui/handle/11250/2753346

Weber’s thesis explores Oslo's policies for promoting healthy, sustainable diets, examining the city’s approach to linking health and environmental objectives. This research offers a practical example of urban strategies that balance public health with sustainability. It is relevant for understanding local-level food policy innovation aimed at addressing multiple facets of food security.