英国发展研究所-粮食系统生计公平：概念、方法和行动综述（英）-2023.12-34页_533kb

Summary of IDS Working Paper 597: Equity in Food Systems Livelihoods: A Review of Conceptualisations, Approaches, and Actions

This working paper by Ayako Ebata, Imogen Bellwood-Howard, and Jane Battersby examines equity in food systems livelihoods—with a focus on marginalized populations—and reviews how different disciplines conceptualize fairness, access to resources, and opportunities. It argues that no single approach can adequately address the complex interplay of power, markets, and institutional structures shaping these outcomes.

1. Key Findings and Methodologies

• Diverse conceptualizations exist across fields including economics, sustainable livelihoods, agrarian studies, and food-related social sciences. Each perspective differs in defining the scope of "food system livelihoods" and the sources of inequity.
• Economics emphasizes equitable market participation and policy interventions for resource allocation.
• Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) focuses on access to capital (e.g., land) through capabilities, but is critiqued for being too depoliticized.
• Agrarian political economy analyzes historical power relations that structure resource access, challenging market-centric solutions.
• Alternative Food Systems (AFS) highlights non-economic aspects like community ties, culture, and consumer experiences, advocating for localized solutions.
• Agroecology prioritizes food sovereignty, ecological sustainability, and anti-capitalist transformation.

2. Limitations of Current Approaches

The review identifies that single disciplinary lenses fall short:

• Quantitative methods often overlook power dynamics, institutional structures, and non-economic outcomes like cultural identity.
• Qualitative methods, while exploring lived experiences, may lack generalizability or rigor in assessing equitable outcomes.
• Conflation of agricultural vs. non-farm food employment obscures the diversity of food-based livelihoods in policy and statistics.

3. Recommendations

• Integrate quantitative and qualitative methods to capture both measurable (e.g., income) and intangible (e.g., sense of place) dimensions.
• Categorize food-based employment separately from agricultural sectors in data collection to reflect its true scope.
• Center power dynamics in research and policy to address historically entrenched inequalities.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration to develop comprehensive frameworks that account for economic, political, and cultural forces.

The paper concludes that achieving equitable food systems requires innovative methodologies that combine the strengths of multiple traditions.