Diverse Paths Towards Good Food Places

Recent work undertaken in Wales has identified a challenging dilemma where increasing reports of food poverty and in-access emerge as evidence of significant underlying issues of social injustice and challenges to future community wellbeing. Combining academic research and practitioner-focussed case studies of just food projects, this paper tentatively suggests that in order to avoid the longer term impacts of food poverty on health, education and local resilience, brave steps towards just food futures are required. Within communities where external capital drives food production and consumption this will require strategic area-based alliances and local access to food initiatives coupled with public support for their longer-term success. This paper explores a range of projects organised by local partnerships and wider cross sector engagement through localised food based social enterprises as collective responses. Within the context of a growth focussed food sector for Wales and the legislative future targets established by Welsh Government, such discussion is clearly relevant.