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Community food growing as social innovation for food sustainability: the case of community gardens and community supported agriculture in Wales

Mert-Cakal, Tezcan 2017. Community food growing as social innovation for food sustainability: the case of community gardens and community supported agriculture in Wales. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
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Abstract

This thesis is based on research that utilises social innovation theory to examine the role and potential of community gardens and community supported agriculture (CSA) in transitioning toward more sustainable food systems, with a geographical focus on Wales. The research originates from the rationale that there is an urgent need for transforming the current food systems into more sustainable ones, and that community-based socially innovative initiatives may become drivers for such a transformation. The main objective is to demonstrate what is the socially innovative role of community gardens and community supported agriculture in Wales and what is their potential for making a societal change toward food sustainability, thus aiming to contribute to the wider debates on the role of the social economy and its potential for socio-economic transformation. The empirical approach applied is qualitative case studies based on 38 semi-structured interviews and participant observation in four community gardens and four community supported agriculture initiatives. The data is analysed by using ALMOLIN (Alternative Model for Local Innovations) as an innovative analytical tool mapping the dynamics of social innovation and processes of social initiatives. The research intends to contribute to the literature of community gardens and community supported agriculture by examining these initiatives from the social innovation perspective. In addition, it intends to contribute to the social innovation literature with the case of community food growing. A final contribution is addressing the geographical gap in the community food growing literature by focusing on Wales as an under-researched area and using large number of case studies to allow a comparison between its different regions and types of initiatives. The study further makes a range of theoretical and policy recommendations.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Date Type: Completion
Status: Unpublished
Schools: Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Community Gardens; Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); Social Innovation; Alternative Food Networks (AFNs); Sustainable Transitions; ALMOLIN; Wales
Funders: ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 8 November 2017
Last Modified: 17 Nov 2021 15:34
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/106341

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