Building Just and Sustainable Food Systems for All

To understand current food systems, we need to take an interdisciplinary approach that engages diverse communities across sectors, scales and places. Only by doing so can we recognize both opportunities and challenges in the current system and how alternative systems may emerge.

Dr. Charles Levkoe

Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems (Tier 2)

Areas of Research:

Community-Engaged Research
Food Sovereignty
Food Systems
Social Movements
Social Justice

Overview of Research

With mounting concerns about the corporate-led industrial food system, initiatives such as urban agriculture, farm-to-school programs, food hubs and food policy councils have been gaining momentum. These help us draw connections between our own lives and broader social, ecological and economic issues. As Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Food Systems, Dr. Charles Levkoe uses a food systems lens to better understand the importance of—and connections between—social justice, ecological regeneration, regional economies and active democratic engagement. Working with a range of scholars and community-based practitioners across North America and Europe, Levkoe and his research team are studying the evolution of the broader collective of social networks that view the right to food as a component of more sustainable futures. Levkoe is integrating his research and teaching with community-engaged pedagogies, and supporting students, community partners and scholars to be actively involved in co-generating knowledge. Through community-based, action-oriented inquiry and teaching—and by developing place-based action projects—this research will contribute to critical discussions that inform theory, civil society action and public policy and help build sustainable food systems for all.

Sustainable Food Systems Lab Logo

Dr. Levkoe's research exemplifies Lakehead University's commitment to advancing the following United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

UN SDG 1 - No Poverty UN SDG 2 - Zero Hunger UN SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-Being UN SDG 4 - Quality Education UN SDG 5 - Gender Equality UN SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation UN SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy UN SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth UN SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure UN SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities UN SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities UN SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Protection UN SDG 13 - Climate Action UN SDG 14 - Life Below Water UN SDG 15 - Life on Land UN SDG 16 - Peace and Justice Strong Institutions UN SDG 17 - Partnerships for Goals