Scales of Impact in the Move Towards Urban Food Sovereignty

Abstract

Individuals involved in organizations that are fighting for food sovereignty within marginalized communities, are experiencing barriers and limitations when it comes to making the impact that they are aiming to. This is due to the ways that neoliberalism frames the US corporate agriculture sector and maneuvers into local food movements, in order to limit food justice efforts. In this study, I worked with local non-profit and community-based organizations to identify specific limitations and challenges that activists and social entrepreneurs are facing in 2 neighborhoods within San Francisco and Oakland. I also explored the possibilities of scaling impact as a tool to increase the collaboration of organizations and further affect change. Data was collected through one-on-one interviews with informants from each organization. I relied on a community-based snowball approach for participant recruitment. I conducted 7 key informant interviews (n=7). Five key themes were found in these interviews, broadly characterized into mission rigidity, financial constraints, organizational adaptation and capacity, and perpetual inclusion. Initial findings support the further development and expansion of a community needs evaluation to understand better how impact made by activists and social entrepreneurs may be affecting and reaching the needs of marginalized individuals in San Francisco and Oakland.