Hungry for Progress?

135 Pages·2017·5.9 MB·English

2016

Hungry for Progress?
ENACTING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
NATASHA KULA-KACZMARSKI
Victoria University of Wellington | Aotearoa
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Hungry for Progress? Enacting Food Sovereignty
By
Natasha Kula-Kaczmarski

A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Development Studies

Victoria University of Wellington
(2016)
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I dedicate this thesis to my godmother and aunty, Debbie Cook.
I will never forget those first lessons you gave me about believing in myself.

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Acknowledgements:
I’d like to thank the following people for their help, support and inspiration for this research;
To Marcela, I cannot thank you enough for your unwavering support and help. From the get
go, you shared my vision and helped me to achieve it, even when I felt like it was impossible.
Thank you for working with my ideas, which at times felt like insanity, and guiding me into
crafting something that I am proud of. I am truly fortunate to call you my mentor.
To Kay and Koanga Institute, thank you for welcoming me and teaching me about your
revolutionary ideas and projects. I still have cravings for the lunch you gave me that day!
To Cathy and Biofarm, thank you for being open-hearted and sharing with me your taonga.
Your yoghurt is a joy at breakfast time.
To Marion and Commonsense Organics, thank you for your wonderful encouragement and for
providing a place where I can access delicious and healthy food. The strawberries over
summer were divine!
To Erin and Workerbe, thank you for warmly reassuring me and showing me your passion.
Your smoothies have been a blessing when I’ve needed a boost of nutrition.
To Matt and Kaibosh, thank you for your energy and enthusiasm. I love Make a Meal – it has
been a great excuse to have a dinner party!
To Kate, Amanda, Alice, and Robert, thank you for your support and listening to me as I chew
your ear off. It has been amazing to hear your opinions and have you look over this work to
make sure it reads well.
To my family, especially George, thank you for accommodating me throughout this journey
and turning a blind eye to the lack of chores completed. I know you have experienced this
journey along with me and I have really appreciated your encouragement, love and care! Ma
famille Guigon-Chavot, it is thanks to my exchange with you that I am writing this thesis. All
the hours spent discussing food politics at the dinner table will stay with me.
To DEVE-ous, thank you for being a part of this journey. I am so proud to call you my friends
and you inspire me all the time. I will cherish the memories we have made over the past two
years for life!
To my friends, thank you for being so understanding about all the times I have missed
socialising. Having friends that have understood the chaos that has been this last year has
been really comforting.
To the markers, thank you for taking the time to mark this thesis.
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Abstract:
This research builds upon and utilises an emerging field of food and development theory –
food sovereignty – as it discusses possibilities for an alternative food system, where the
production, distribution and consumption of food may be guided by principles that foster a
holistic, ethical and sustainable approach.

The theory of food sovereignty has grown from the writings of La Via Campesina (a global
movement of food producers in the Global South) and offers critiques of the current food
system, food security and corporate globalisation. As I grapple with the key principles of food
sovereignty and explore the ways in which they are visible within Wellington, Aotearoa, I
interact with five key organisations and present ways their actions foster a food sovereignty
paradigm. By blending the theoretical with the practical, this thesis presents the lived
experiences of people working in; Koanga Institute, Biofarm, Commonsense Organics,
Workerbe and Kaibosh.

Bringing together the perspectives of these five organisations with relevant literature, this
thesis first discusses some potential market-based solutions for achieving ethical
consumption. It then examines ideas around the move to ‘grow something’ as a tool for
resistance, reclaiming spaces and healing; to finally explore the ways in which a more holistic
approach to food can nurture spiritual connections in profound and unique ways.

Hungry for Progress? Enacting Food Sovereignty is a qualitative research project that
embraces notions of positionality and reflexivity and shares my journey of living this research.
Through exploring the food sovereignty narratives and worldviews, I seek to promote
empowerment among individuals and organisations through constructing knowledge that
supports postcolonial, feminist and activist interactions so that good change in the food system
(and beyond) may become a reality.

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