Education as policy: Museums’ relationships to food governance in New York City

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to propose an exploration on how museums, as places of education and training on issues related to sustainability and the food system, can and are currently involved in food governance processes and ultimately become themselves, or more specifically their education or training programs, part of food policies. The present study maps the activities undertaken by museums in the field of sustainability and food. In order to gain insight into the meaning and impact of current museum activities, we conducted interviews with various actors working on food and sustainability issues in New York City. These actors were selected to represent both the museum world and the food system. Through semi-structured interviews, we discussed with these actors how museums, through their interface with local communities and visitors, can become actors capable of developing new narratives, forms of communication, and actions on food sustainability, targeting not only “internal” (local) actors, but also “external” actors (people who do not live in New York City). The results demonstrate a notable increase in the interest of museums in engaging with food-related practices and activities and highlights the potential of these spaces to contribute to transformative change in food systems.