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Organizing Joint Practices in Urban Food Initiatives—A Comparative Analysis of Gardening, Cooking and Eating Together

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  • Benjamin Hennchen

    (Chair of Sustainability Governance, Institute of Environmental Social Sciences and Geography, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Michael Pregernig

    (Chair of Sustainability Governance, Institute of Environmental Social Sciences and Geography, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany)

Abstract

The topic of food is highly relevant to the UN sustainable development agenda. The agenda particularly challenges cities to take on more responsibilities and to initiate processes that change unsustainable food practices. The recent emergence of urban food initiatives, such as community-supported agriculture, urban gardening, food sharing or community kitchens, promises great potential in leveraging sustainability. Although a great deal of research is already available on the societal impacts of food initiatives, little is known about organizational aspects surrounding them. The following study aims to address this gap by systematically analyzing how joint practices of gardening as well as cooking and eating are organized in different urban food initiatives, taking five initiatives in two smaller cities in southern Germany as case studies. Data were acquired through qualitative research methods including interviewing, participatory observations and document analysis. The analysis covers five key dimensions: institutional integration, recruiting mechanisms, goal-setting, time management and types of knowledge. Based on these dimensions, the results portray two distinctive organizational profiles of urban food initiatives. The article concludes with a reflection on how local governments can support food initiatives and thus contribute to sustainable urban food systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Hennchen & Michael Pregernig, 2020. "Organizing Joint Practices in Urban Food Initiatives—A Comparative Analysis of Gardening, Cooking and Eating Together," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4457-:d:365293
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nadine Scharf & Thomas Wachtel & Suhana E. Reddy & Ina Säumel, 2019. "Urban Commons for the Edible City—First Insights for Future Sustainable Urban Food Systems from Berlin, Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Michael Classens, 2015. "The nature of urban gardens: toward a political ecology of urban agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 229-239, June.
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    4. Joshua Sbicca & India Luxton & James Hale & Kassandra Roeser, 2019. "Collaborative Concession in Food Movement Networks: The Uneven Relations of Resource Mobilization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-21, May.
    5. Margot Dyen & Lucie Sirieix, 2016. "How does a local initiative contribute to social inclusion and promote sustainable food practices? Focus on the example of social cooking workshops," Post-Print hal-01506466, HAL.
    6. Jessica Bagdonis & C. Hinrichs & Kai Schafft, 2009. "The emergence and framing of farm-to-school initiatives: civic engagement, health and local agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 26(1), pages 107-119, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Valentina Cattivelli, 2023. "Review and Analysis of the Motivations Associated with Urban Gardening in the Pandemic Period," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Fernianda Rahayu Hermiatin & Yuanita Handayati & Tomy Perdana & Dadan Wardhana, 2022. "Creating Food Value Chain Transformations through Regional Food Hubs: A Review Article," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Sonja Kaufmann & Nikolaus Hruschka & Christian R. Vogl, 2020. "Bridging the Literature Gap: A Framework for Assessing Actor Participation in Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-26, October.

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