FOOD AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN SASKATCHEWAN: COMMUNITY GARDENS AS A LOCAL PRACTICE OF FOOD SOVEREIGNTY A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Justice Studies University of Regina by Yolanda Hansen Regina, Saskatchewan 2008 Copyright 2008: Yolanda Hansen Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-42434-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-42434-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada UNIVERSITY OF REGINA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH SUPERVISORY AND EXAMINING COMMITTEE Yolanda Marie Hansen, candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in Justice Studies, has presented a thesis titled, Food and Social Justice in Saskatchewan: Community Gardens as a Local Practice of Food Sovereignty, in an oral examination held on July 23, 2008. The following committee members have found the thesis acceptable in form and content, and that the candidate demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject material. External Examiner: Dr. Bonnie Jeffery, SPHERU Supervisor: Dr. Annette Desmarais, Department of Justice Studies Committee Member: Dr. Murray Knuttila, Associate VP Academic Committee Member: Dr. Wendee Kubik, Department of Women's Studies Chair of Defense: Dr. Joseph Piwowar, Department of Geography i ABSTRACT Food justice movements are vital elements of resistance to the conventional food system. As alternatives to producing and consuming food within the dominant agricultural system, food justice movements envision a food system based on positive environmental and social goals. These movements are important for social justice because they benefit and strengthen the practice of human rights and help build community. The significance of such alternatives is reflected in the rising popularity of alternative forms of production and consumption that mitigate the negative impacts of an exploitive industrial and globalized food and agricultural system. This thesis analyzes the contributions of three Saskatchewan community gardens as crucial players within food justice movements. After evaluating various ideas discussed within food justice movements, including food democracy, food citizenship and sustainability, the concept of food sovereignty is used as a theoretical framework due to its comprehensive address of social and environmental issues. Food sovereignty is the right of peoples or countries to define their own agriculture, food, labour, fishing and land policies in ways that are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their circumstances. Using a qualitative case study methodology, the history and operation of three community gardens, distinguished by their goals of food security and community building, were studied. They are Grow Regina in Regina, the Saskferco Community Garden in Moose Jaw and the City Park Community Garden in Saskatoon. By analyzing key themes from the qualitative data using a six-pillar model of food sovereignty, the ii thesis concludes that community gardens can be recognized as local practices of food sovereignty. By looking at the operations and implications of community gardens, important lessons can be learned about food and social justice in Saskatchewan. Recommendations and suggestions for further research are offered. Ill ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express sincere appreciation and gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Annette Desmarais for her guidance, support and hours of thoughtful discussion and editing. Her encouragement and belief in the importance of this research made this thesis possible. Thank you to my supervisory committee, Dr. Murray Knuttila and Dr. Wendee Kubik, for their suggestions and guidance throughout this process. I would also like to sincerely thank the community gardeners who spoke candidly to me about their experiences. Special thanks to Sylvia Gibson, Tom Wolf, Gord Androsoff and Pier Binda for taking the time to explain their garden's operations, show me proudly around their garden and for facilitating my contact with other community gardeners. The enthusiasm and commitment of these gardeners is inspiring. Funding from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in the form of scholarships is gratefully acknowledged. Lastly, I wish to thank my family and friends for their support. I would especially like to thank to my husband Jeremy for his unwavering encouragement, support, and patience throughout my academic pursuits. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract i Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv List of Tables vi List of Appendices vii List of Acronyms viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Research goal 2 1.2 The context - the current industrial, globalized agricultural system 4 1.3 Thesis outline 21 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL REVIEW 23 2.1 Putting justice back into food 25 2.2 Food system alternatives 33 2.3 Resistance as creating alternatives 36 2.4 Understanding food justice movements 37 2.5 Understanding food sovereignty 43 2.6 Using food sovereignty as an analytical tool 50 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 52 3.1 Methodology 52 3.2 Contemporary community gardens in Saskatchewan - three case studies 56 3.2.1 Grow Regina - Regina 56 3.2.2 Saskferco Community Garden - Moose Jaw 59 3.2.3 City Park Community Garden - Saskatoon 62 3.3 The evolution of community garden 64 CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS 72 4.1 Themes from interviews 72 4.2 Six pillars of food sovereignty 88 4.3 Analysis 90 4.3.1 Active participation in the food system 90 4.3.2 Greater access, power and control by people over their food system 93 4.3.3 Enabling peoples' empowerment 96 4.3.4 Recognizing alternative ways of being 101 4.3.5 Emphasizing human rights 104 4.3.6 Encouraging different values 105 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 5.1 Historical lessons learned from community gardens 109 5.2 Are community gardens resistance? 112 5.3 Implications for building food sovereignty in Saskatchewan 115 5.4 Further recommended research 125 Bibliography 128 Appendix A - Ethical clearance 142 Appendix B - Letter of consent 144 Appendix B - Interview questions 145 Appendix C - Interviewee demographics 147 VI LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1 - Participant gender and roles 147 Table 2 - Participant age and length of involvement in years 147 Table 3 - Participants with a farm background 147 Table 4 - Participant education (highest level achieved) 148 Table 5 - Participant annual household income compared to neighbourhood/city income 148 vii LIST OF APPENDICES Page Appendix A - Ethical clearance 142 Appendix B - Consent letter 144 Appendix C - Interview questions 145 Appendix D - Interviewee demographics 147 Vlll LIST OF ACRONYMS AB Alberta AoA Agreement on Agriculture BSE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopothy, also known as mad-cow disease CFIA Canadian Food Inspection Agency CHEP Child Hunger and Education Program CPR Canadian Pacific Railway CSA Community Supported Agriculture FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GATT General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs GMO Genetically Modified Organism HBC Hudson's Bay Company IMF International Monetary Fund MB Manitoba NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement NFU National Farmers Union NWMP North West Mounted Police SHA Saskatchewan Horticultural Association SIAST Saskatchewan Institute for Applied Science and Technology UN United Nations US United States of America VLGA Vacant Lot Gardening Association WTO World Trade Organization 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION The changing relationship between people and food has been a topic of fascination for scholars, farmers, governments, the media and the public in our recent difficult times. The ability of food, and our means of cultivating it through agriculture,