Mechanisms of power within a community-based food security planning process.
A community food security movement has begun to address problems of hunger and food insecurity by utilizing a community-based approach. Although various models have been implemented, little empirical research has assessed how power operates within community-based food security initiatives. The purpose of this research was to determine how power influenced participation in decision-making, agenda setting, and the shaping of perceived needs within a community-based food security planning process, with particular reference to disenfranchised stakeholders. Power influenced participation in decision-making, agenda setting, and the shaping of perceived needs through managing 1) problem framing, 2) trust, 3) knowledge, and 4) consent. To overcome these mechanisms of power, practitioners need to address individual-, community-, and institutional-level barriers to participation in community-based food security planning processes. Practitioners and researchers can work with disenfranchised groups to determine which agents have the power to create desired changes by utilizing theory-based methods and strategies that focus on changing external determinants at multiple levels.
McCullum
Christine
C
Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, School of Public Health, University of Texas at Houston, 77030, USA. christine.mccullum@uth.tmc.edu
Pelletier
David
D
Barr
Donald
D
Wilkins
Jennifer
J
Habicht
Jean-Pierre
JP
D000328:Adult; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D011203:Poverty; D011209:Power, Psychological