Food Studies Commons^™

An Economic And Production Analysis Of Seaweed Farms In California And The Pacific Northwest, Brian Donovan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since the early 2010s, the seaweed aquaculture industry has steadily expanded in the United States, with states like Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, and Connecticut leading the way in the development of this emerging sector. However, information gaps remain concerning certain aspects of the domestic seaweed aquaculture industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of the seaweed aquaculture industry along the West Coast of the United States; specifically in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Seaweed farmers in these states were invited to voluntarily complete surveys asking important production, economic, and commercial questions regarding their operations. Data …

Cultivating A Community-Based Food System In Western Montana, Elaina Lamphere

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Fallow Fields Or Fertile Ground: Analysing Food Governance In A Changing World, Johanna L. Wilkes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Our food systems are failing us. In particular, industrial food systems fail to deliver healthy, adequate food to billions of people (FAO et al. 2019; FAO et al. 2024) and have led to increased instances of mental health crises for farmers (Jones-Bitton 2019; Younker & Radunovich 2021). In addition, industrial food systems contribute to the devastating impacts of a warming climate (IPCC 2021), biodiversity loss (WWF 2021), and soil erosion (Wise 2019; Badreldin and Lobb 2023) worldwide. Yet, little structural change has occurred in the way agriculture is governed and the problems created by industrial agriculture are becoming increasingly entrenched. …

Food Resource Efficiency Decision Support Hub: Workshop 3 - Summary Report, Jennifer Attard, Tracey O'Connor, Simon Patterson, Julia Lessa Feitosa Virgolino, Mina Sadeghzadeh

Publications

FRED is focused on informing policy on food waste prevention using a total food system sustainability approach.

Food Resource Efficiency Decision Support Hub: Workshop 2 - Summary Report, Jennifer Attard, Tracey O'Connor, Simon Patterson, Julia Lessa Feitosa Virgolino, Mina Sadeghzadeh

Publications

FRED is focused on informing policy on food waste prevention using a total food system sustainability approach.

Food Resource Efficiency Decision Support Hub: Workshop 4 - Summary Report, Jennifer Attard, Tracey O'Connor, Simon Patterson, Julia Lessa Feitosa Virgolino, Mina Sadeghzadeh

Publications

FRED is focused on informing policy on food waste prevention using a total food system sustainability approach.

Food Resource Efficiency Decision Support Hub: Food System Stakeholder Needs Identification, Jennifer Attard, Tracey O'Connor, Simon Patterson, Julia Lessa Feitosa Virgolino, Mina Sadeghzadeh

Publications

Understanding the needs of everyone in the food system is vital to solving the food waste problem. If interventions are misaligned with stakeholder needs, the resultant impact will be highly diminished and/or will result in unintended consequences. We there fore conducted significant stakeholder engagement to identify and prioritise stakeholder needs.

Food Resource Efficiency Decision Support Hub: Consumer Survey Report, Tracey O'Connor, Mina Sadeghzadeh, Julia Lessa Feitosa Virgolino, Jennifer Attard

Publications

FRED is focused on informing policy on food waste prevention using a total food system sustainability approach.

Consumers sit at a critical point of food value networks as the decision-makers about food purchasing, household storage and management, and (non-)consumption. It was critical therefore to understand the consumer context, their concerns and needs regarding the food system, and their food purchasing and waste attitudes and behaviours.

“Emergency Relief As Routine”: The Evolution Of Fsa’S Livestock Forage Disaster Program In An Era Of Persistent Drought, Shae L. Olsen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis examines the historical origins, current limitations, and future of the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), the primary federal drought disaster relief program for ranchers in the United States. Drawing connections between the Dust Bowl-era Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) and LFP, I argue that the AAA, while innovative at the time, prioritized the maintenance of commodity markets over ecological resilience, disproportionately benefiting white, landowning producers. This trend is reflected in LFP today. Through a policy analysis and original qualitative research, including interviews with 23 FSA staff members in nine states, I examine how LFP operates …

Cultivating Community-University Partnerships Within The Chicago Region Food System, Hanan Abdillahi, Vivian Cossey, Tania Schusler, Kevin Erickson, Karen Schauwecker, Sarah Ku, Ray Dybzinski

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

We interviewed 22 organizations in the Chicago Regional Food System to gain insights on their current initiatives, assets, challenges, future visions, and perceived roles of universities in advancing their work. We analyzed themes to report on strong consensus or varied perspectives related to this work. This report aims to advise Loyola’s School of Environmental Sustainability's future work and collaboration activities with Chicago Food System organizations.

Kelp Guardians Can Save The World: A Food Sovereignty Lab Report Of The Ghvtlh-K’Vsh Shu'-Srnelh-'I~ (Kelp Guardians) California Sea Grant, Delaney A. Schroeder-Echavarria

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As partners of the Ghvtlh-k’vsh Shu'-srnelh-'i~ (Kelp Guardians) California Sea Grant project, the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute has actively engaged with local educators, Tribal organizations, and Tribal Nations to create youth-centered curricula, researched through a community-based participatory research lens. This is demonstrated through an innovative approach to recruiting and retaining Indigenous youth and community interest in coastal and marine ecosystems and resources by connecting with Indigenous cultural practices, Indigenous sciences, and community-based programs to encourage future careers. The Kelp Guardians project is led by the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation (TDN or Nation) and includes various …

They Forgot We Were Seeds: Critical Counter-Narratives Supporting Culturally Informed Community Seed Work, Florentina Rodriguez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This Professional Innovation dissertation utilizes Critical Counter-Narrative both as research methodology to generate narrative reflections and as praxis for liberatory transformation. Through research vignettes adapted from the author’s experience with critical collaborative autoethnographic seed work, this study produced critical counter-narratives aimed at addressing inequities in small-scale seed systems. These counter-narratives were incorporated into curriculum materials synthesized as an educational toolkit for a professional research

sister-project: the new Culturally Informed Community Seed Pledge and Code of Ethics (CICSP/COE). This project seeks to address disparity and extractive practices; outline relational pathways for reciprocity and respecting communities of origin; and provide evaluation metrics …

Understanding Detroit’S Local Food And Urban Agricultural Policy Subsystem Using The Advocacy Coalition Framework, Joann Marie Hennessey Ph.D.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This explanatory qualitative case study applied the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to study Detroit’s local food policy changes from 2000 to 2022. The research question and sub-questions were framed using three ACF hypotheses that addressed advocacy coalitions, collective action, and policy change. My research showed how actors in the policy subsystem worked to promote policy change during the study period. Using this Advocacy Coalition Framework approach, I explored local food policy change in the context of community resilience and system changes. Since 2000, the local food movement in Detroit attempted system changes by experimenting with ways to provide local residents …

Resilience Of Food Sovereignty Organizations To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rachel M. Brice

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored the organizational resilience of food sovereignty organizations (FSOs) in the northeastern United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a novel “open structural learning approach” that integrates structural contingency theory, open systems theory, and organizational learning theory, this research examined how FSOs’ structural attributes, resource flows, and organizational culture shaped their ability to navigate crisis. The study engaged FSO leaders through surveys (n = 13) and in-depth interviews (n = 7), supplemented by archival data analysis, to explore factors that strengthened or diminished FSO resilience. Findings revealed that FSOs navigated COVID-19 with multiple concurrent …

Sensory Evaluation And Consumer Acceptance Of A Protein Enriched Energy Bar, Brennah T. Groves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Sensory Evaluation and Consumer Acceptance of a Protein Enriched Energy Bar

Brennah Groves

This study evaluated the sensory properties and consumer acceptance of a protein enriched energy bar. The objectives of this study were to 1) formulate a high-protein energy bar containing at least 20 g of protein per 100 g serving, and 2) determine whether increasing the protein content in an energy bar would enhance the sensory evaluation and improve consumer acceptance among collegiate athletes. The control energy bar featured a shortbread base, date caramel with whey protein, a nougat layer, and a chocolate coating. Additional collagen protein …

Integrating Indigenous Values And Community Strengths To Achieve Indigenous Food Sovereignty And Community Well-Being In The Ka’A’Gee Tu First Nation, Northwest Territories, Jennifer K. Temmer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northern Indigenous communities face disproportionate impacts from interconnected challenges related to climate change, food security, health, and cultural preservation, that threaten traditional food systems and practices. While there is a growing recognition of the importance of community-driven solutions, existing frameworks fail to integrate Indigenous values and local priorities effectively. This research addresses this gap by exploring how the Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (KTFN) is responding to these crises through climate change adaptation efforts focused on food system sustainability as a pathway to self-sufficiency and community well-being. To contribute to these efforts, this dissertation uses Participatory Action Research to facilitate community-driven …

Operationalizing Intersectionality Analysis For Urban Agriculture In Quito, Ecuador, Laine N. Young

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis outlines the results of a case study in Quito, Ecuador with the municipally led participatory urban agriculture project, AGRUPAR, an internationally recognized project that promotes women’s empowerment, traditional knowledge, agroecology, and livelihoods. It works to improve the lives of those experiencing high levels of poverty in Quito. This dissertation applies an intersectional analysis to urban agriculture research to enhance attention to power relations, social justice, and equity within its scholarly and practical realms. Intersectionality is an understanding that people have unique experiences of oppression based on their unique social location (what intersecting social categories they belong to) and …

Goal Setting In Sleep And Nutrition To Improve Perceived Performance In Active College Students, Cameron F. Timmons

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study looked at goal setting in sleep and nutrition on healthy active college students aimed to improve their perceived performance, resting metabolic rate, body composition, and overall well-being. The six-week-long intervention had two groups: a control (n=5) and intervention group (n=6). Both groups received an initial coaching session and guidance for self-motivated online goal setting, completed weekly check-ins asking about their sleep and nutrition quality and quantity, and perceived performance, then they would set small goals aimed at improving their sleep and nutrition. The control group set their own goals every week with their online weekly check-ins, and the …

Capacity Building In The Irish Brewing And Distilling Sector For Raw Materials Utilisation, By-Products Management, And Environmental Impact Assessment, Ekene C. Umego

Doctoral

The Irish brewing and distilling sector has shown a consistent increase in number, production output, sales, and export value in the last decade. This has implications for raw materials requirements, assessment, and by-products management for the sustainability of the sector. As a result, the main aim of this research study was to evaluate the status of raw materials use and assessment within the Irish brewing and distilling sector, explore by-products management options and valorisation initiatives, and analyse the environmental impact of Irish whiskey production. The first approach was a survey study to collect data on major raw material inputs use …

An Unexpected Outcome Of An Ischemic Stroke On The Reward Pathways In The Human Brain, Karen Valadez-Cuen, Erica Kozorosky, Ferina Farahnik, Oscar Garcia

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Addiction affects millions of people, often resulting from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors, and is frequently linked to mental health disorders. Many experts agree there is no cure for addiction, but there are effective treatments available. Many patients continue to succumb to addiction despite treatment. Therefore, more research is needed to develop new therapies in addiction medicine.

Case Presentation

This is the case of a 63-year-old woman with an extensive smoking history who suffered an acute stroke affecting her left-sided basal ganglia, including the caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens. The patient presented with bilateral strokes to …