Project

Urban circular food policy and practice

MSc Thesis Vacancy

The challenge of transitioning toward a circular food system (CFS) raises important social challenges with respect to changing the way we produce, distribute, consume, and dispose our food (waste) and to the deeper transformation of food system structures, agency and outcomes in society. Cities and urban regions are increasingly invested in developing policies to make the food system more circular, while using different sets of tools and mechanisms to steer actors and practices (e.g., reducing meat consumption, or food waste). However, there is limited systematic knowledge on how different approaches contribute to more circular food systems, as well as the range of instruments, arrangements, and practices that are already shaping urban circular food systems. In this regard there is a lot to learn from current developments of circular food policies and practices at the local level.

You can join this project if you are interested in one or more of the following research goals:

• Identifying different circular urban food policies and practices;
• Comparing cities, either in NL or across countries in their approaches to CFS;
• Identifying and comparing local (policy) networks to promote CFS;
• Identifying patterns or networks of resistance to urban CFS;
• or developing other creative research goals related to urban circular food systems.

Necessary skills:

1. Literature review;
2. Interviews;
3. (Qualitative or Quantitative) document analysis;
4. Comparative research;
5. other methods (e.g., QCA, SNA, diary studies) can also be considered.