Thyme to change the system

: a people-centred sustainable food system transition in Bristol

Abstract

In the climate change discourse much of the attention has been dedicated to understanding how countries can decrease emissions to slow down global warming. A plethora of solutions, schemes, climate agreements and policies have been designed to decrease energy use and make it more efficient, yet less attention has been given to the impacts of an arguably more
damaging sector: the food industry. Considerable challenges of the food industry include biodiversity loss, deforestation, water pollution, emissions caused by meat and dairy production, but also extend to the socio-cultural and economic spheres too, such as food security and accessibility. Whilst individual solutions which have been applied so far are powerful, it has become clear that, in order to achieve long term sustainability, it is necessary to enter a different paradigm that is centred around sustainability. This can be done through
systemic transitions. In this research, Bristol is taken as case study to analyse how a people-centred food system transition can be designed. This is done by determining barriers that hinder it, and opportunities that could facilitate it. Stakeholder interviews and a thematic analysis showed that the main systemic barriers that prevent a just transition are the inaccessibility of healthy, fresh and culturally appropriate food for everyone, issues of inequality and discrimination within the environmental movement, tensions between
stakeholders, and insufficient or weak food education. To facilitate the transition support from the City Council was found to be crucial. This should be directed to local producers, consumers and innovators, and should be done not only through funding or subsidies, but also by increasing strategic local marketing that creates more visibility to local businesses and initiatives. Finally, the role of policy and strategies was found to be fundamental in ensuring and demonstrating strong leadership and commitment from the Council. In particular, the recognition of food as a fundamental human right is of crucial importance.

Date of Award	7 Nov 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Lauren J Blake (Supervisor) & Ed Atkins (Supervisor)