Food citizenship in Montreal: motivations, practices and structuring principles

Justification of research project

In the city, the proliferation of food initiatives driven by environmental and social sustainability objectives illustrates a movement for a social and ecological transition in the food sector. This is the case in Montreal where a variety of initiatives are coordinated in a network on different territorial scales (Lefèvre and Audet, 2016). Citizens hold a central place in the functioning of these initiatives through their roles as founders of new projects, as volunteers or through their participation in the initiatives as consumers or urban gardeners (Brisebois and Audet, 2018). Thus, these initiatives emerge alongside a form of commitment specific to food citizenship.

Food citizenship is defined as a set of practices that supports a democratic, socially and economically just and ecologically responsible food system (Wilkins, 2005). It refers to the political dimension of the act of consuming or organizing alternative consumption practices that would reflect a commitment to the community and the environment. Combined with initiatives aimed at reorganizing food supply patterns, food citizenship would lead individuals to get involved in the market and institutions to promote sustainability in the food sector (Renting et al, 2012). Thus, the values ​​specific to this form of commitment would be necessary for a social and ecological transition of food systems (Baker, 2004). However, food citizenship practices, through their expressions at the individual and/or collective level, their social and ecological values, seem to be in tension with different factors that structure their deployment.

Research question

In order to deepen knowledge of this phenomenon, the following questions therefore arise: What are the values ​​and practices of commitments for food citizenship? What are the principles structuring engagement practices for food citizenship?

Research purpose

In general, this qualitative research aimed to identify and analyze food citizenship practices in the Montreal food system and the principles structuring these engagement practices. To this end, the research aimed to meet the following three objectives: (1) Identify practices and initiatives driven by a food citizenship approach in the Montreal food system; (2) Identify the practices, values ​​and motivations of actors who participate, collaborate or implement food citizenship initiatives; (3) Understand the principles structuring engagement practices for food citizenship.

Research approach

• Mapping of citizen-led food initiatives, covering:

  • the conventional food system

  • the emergency food system

  • the alternative food system

• 25 semi-structured interviews conducted with:

  • 9 initiative leaders

  • 6 volunteers or actively involved members

  • 10 consumers

• Qualitative data analysis using NVivo and QDA Miner

• Four meetings scheduled with the steering committee (SAM and FGM representatives)