Abstract
As the 1960s Environmental movement has grown, sustainability and justice discourses have come to the fore of the movement. While environmental justice discourse considers the unequal effects of environmental burdens, the language that frames "sustainability" is often socially and politically neutral. This thesis critically examines sustainability initiatives and practices of an urban farming organization in Florida. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in 2017, I explore the extent to which these initiatives incorporate race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class when working to provide sustainably grown food in diverse communities. I argue that the organization's focus on justice for the environment, rather than for communities, and education as a barrier in low-income, food desert neighborhoods neglects to integrate experiences of those living on the margins into their initiatives. This research raises awareness of the need for a critical examination of sustainability in practice and a politically aware incorporation of environmental justice themes into sustainability agendas.
Thesis Completion
2018
Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair/Advisor
Mishtal, Joanna
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Anthropology
Degree Program
Anthropology
Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Release Date
11-1-2018
Recommended Citation
Davenport, Sarah, "Whose Sustainability? An Analysis of a Community Farming Program's Food Justice and Environmental Sustainability Agenda" (2018). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 402.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/402