Food Security is an Experience

This subjectivity in discussing food security is also compounded by the fact that our current systems disproportionately impact minority populations, who are affected by higher rates of food insecurity overall. In interrogating these systemic causes and effects however, it is also important that individual aspects, viewpoints, and experiences aren’t lost either.

Diversifying and Decolonizing Food Systems

As Maya Feller (MS, RD, CDN) notes in a perspective piece, the first step to decolonizing our food systems is to acknowledge and internalize that “there’s no one size that fits all when it comes to food.” Namely, most cuisines don’t follow the Western rubric of “the healthy plate” composed of a standard protein, vegetable, and carbohydrate in a given meal. This acknowledgement is needed to combat the continuous assimilation of different cuisines and cultures into a white-oriented definition.

Further, in this assimilation of foods, the foods themselves (and therefore the culture) have been diluted, changed, and paired down to accommodate the white perspective. This has also been facilitated through co-opting the term ‘healthy’ to state that it’s not, as an example. Other terms such as not being ‘clean’, or being too ‘exotic’ are also used as put downs for non-white cuisines.

 

One organization who works to decouple food and food systems from the white perspective is Soul Fire Farm. Soul Fire Farm, based in the United States, works to center minority groups within food systems and reclaim their right to have agency, strengthen community self-determination, and end food apartheid. Their online resources include a ‘how to’ video series called the Liberation on Land Skillshare Video Series, leadership guides that cover food sovereignty and equity, and other publications with supporting information.

Another perspective is the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals who work within our food systems. Sexuality and gender-diverse experiences have also been traditionally sidelined in favour of forwarding the narrative of cisgender-heterosexual perspectives. Even articles that expose the absence of these experiences in Canada sometimes miss the mark. On this topic, one hub user recently shared this publication from the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) that highlights some of these stories.

Listening to Individual Perspectives

“The kids are eating three times more [at home] than before COVID-19. Not having school makes it hard to do anything. The adults and older kids need to sacrifice so that the younger ones can eat.”

“When discussing what food justice means to them, many community members made the connection to the criminalization of poverty and race and how that connects to accessing food.”

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So how can we continue to amplify these voices? Why Hunger explains that listening to stories is of paramount importance. Listening to the experiences of food insecure individuals and the experiences of success stories in reclaiming food sovereignty are both important. This way, these are all illuminated and further contribute to maintaining direction in what is needed to be achieved by society to ensure that everyone can have a food secure experience. 

Manitoban Perspectives

Here in Manitoba, Harvest Manitoba also keeps a story collection from some of their community members and volunteers. You can view those stories here.

Another available resource is the short video below: