Norwegian version of this page

Food and Sustainability

We study the politics, practice and culture of food.

Sheep lying under a tree in a grassy field.

Photo: Karen V. Lykke, UiO.

About the Group 

The globalization of food systems creates a wealth of conflicts and paradoxes, ethical considerations and dilemmas both in the Global South and North. We need to understand the complex patterns shaping what we eat, how we eat, who has access to what kind of food, and how food production and consumption shapes both planetary and human health.

By linking production and consumption, environment, health and economy, the participants in this group investigate the factors that impact the journey food takes from production on the farm to peoples’ tables across the world. By doing so, we unveil the shifting power relations in the food system and try to understand the drivers of change towards sustainable food systems.

Current explanations of food and nutrition security tend to focus either on our food production system or the culture of consumption. The most critical gap in the research on sustainable food systems lies in the lack of comprehensive, inter-relational knowledge along the whole food chain.

We propose that to fully grasp the politics, practices and culture of food we need to explore the entire food chain from farm to fork; globally, nationally and locally.

Vegetables, fish, meat and grain arranged in a circle
Illustration: Elin Wyller Engkvist

We study

  • Food consumption and practices
  • Food cultures
  • Sustainable diets
  • Power in global and local food systems
  • The local and global impact of the industrial grain-oilseed-livestock complex
  • The effect of food production on soil health, ecosystems and landscapes
  • The social, cultural and political dimensions of agriculture
  • Meat production and pandemics

Our key focus areas are meat, soil and landscapes.

Meat

Meat production and consumption have large consequences for the climate, environment as well as human and animal health. Meat production also increases the risk for contagious diseases with pandemic potential. Meanwhile, individuals, the industry and various political actors actively resist limiting the role of meat in society. Meat is not just food. Meat is identity, power and culture. 

We research the underlying historical, social, cultural, political and economic systems that shape both current meat production and the possibilities for a sustainable shift in the position of meat in the food system.

Sossages on disposable grill
Photo: Johannes Volden, UiO

Soil and landscapes

Soil is the basis for all land-based food production, the largest carbon store and the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. Industrial food production based on excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides and monocultures is detrimental to soil biology - the glue holding soil in place. Soil is washed into waterways, eroded as dust in the wind and oxidized into greenhouse gases. Agricultural practices have great implications for landscapes at both micro- and macro levels. It is imperative we rebuild soil to secure both food production and a livable climate in the future.

We research how the food system's social, cultural and political frameworks affect the transition to an agriculture that regenerates the soil. 

Hender som holder i jord
Photo: Elin Wyller Engkvist, UiO

Academic programmes and courses

Publications

More publications

Published May 15, 2018 11:57 AM - Last modified Feb. 7, 2024 3:53 PM

Contact

Participants

Detailed list of participants