Food Justice Policy and the UNESCO City of Gastronomy: How the Designation Can Lay a Positive Foundation for the Future of the Food System of Tucson, Arizona

Abstract

This thesis aims to understand the present food situation in Tucson, AZ and the implications for the city’s December 2015 UNESCO International City of Gastronomy designation. Through qualitative research and feminist methodologies, this thesis raises the voices of leaders within the Tucson food system to gain deeper insight into how to work towards a more socially just food system, and why this is important. In the hope that this thesis can be used as an advocacy tool for policy-makers and grassroots leadership, the topics addressed cover food justice and security through representation for the underrepresented, culturally significant food access, and long-term solutions. By understanding how the local government has made space for the designation, this thesis provides ideas that the local government should encompass in order to move forward in allowing the designation to positively impact the Tucson food system and the groups it currently inequitably affects.