Practices of food democracy: A systematic review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Food democracy (FD) has emerged as a concept and movement aiming at transforming the food system toward a more equitable, sustainable, and participatory model. This paper draws upon a systematic review of the literature on FD with the aim to analyze the implementation of the FD concept into emerging initiatives. The systematic review examines 45 out of 51 articles published from 2008 by the end of 2021 extracted from Scopus and Web of Science. It identifies various food practice types developed worldwide, examines their goals and involved actors, and assesses their potential to foster democratic and fair transformations of the food system. The study made possible the identification of food practice types and their classification under market-related initiatives and food governance-related initiatives. The findings of this review contribute to the understanding of food democracy and provide directions for future research and practical applications in the pursuit of sustainable food systems.