From Soil to Society: Enhancing Local Food Systems Through Global and Cultural Insights

This research aims to investigate the extent to which cultural perceptions, ideas, and attitudes influence how individuals interact with their community’s food system and how this relates to sustainable agricultural practices. The overall project stems from the necessity of finding more sustainable solutions to food production in an era defined by large industrial monocultures. The research consists of a series of interviews with experts and stakeholders on sustainable food systems, as well as case studies from Samoa, North America, and Ecuador. Significant themes and patterns will be derived from an analysis of the case studies and interviews. Our research will culminate in a sustainable foods exposition, facilitating education, coalition building, and discourse informed by our findings. The exposition will be held in the spring of 2025 on the University of Montana campus and will be open to the Missoula community. The research found that there is often a high level of interconnectedness within sustainable food systems between organizations, initiatives, and community members. Though, economic barriers often threaten this interconnectedness. These barriers include competition-driven economic systems, which place producers at odds with one another and cause a struggle to be viable within a more extensive industrial system, where consumers find products more economically accessible. The relationship of the community members with the environment and perceptions regarding sustainable foods and the accessibility of local foods to them was also found to be important in upholding sustainable food systems. Based on our research findings, our sustainable food exposition aims to foster and strengthen this relationship between consumer and producer while also encouraging collaboration amongst organizations in the community. The main topics of focus will be the empowerment of community voices, economic accessibility, and coalition building.