Alternative food practices for climate futures: listening to the voices of young adults in the Canadian Southeastern Prairie Region

For decades, climate scientists and activists have warned us of the ever-growing threat of global warming and the urgent need for climate commitments from elected representatives. In response to the constant exposure to environmental catastrophes, experiences of distress and concern for the environment are rising, particularly among young adults. Meanwhile, industrial agricultural systems are increasingly understood as contributing to environmental degradation, inciting many to explore alternative food systems for their potential to secure the food supply while contributing to ecological health. My research is situated at the intersection of food and climate distress, where I explore why and how alternative food practices are adopted by young adults, and how these practices interact with their climate distress. I conducted interviews with 20 young adults in cities in the Southeastern Prairie Region of Canada who have an alternative food practice (e.g. gardening, canning, foraging, dumpster diving, participating in local food organizations, etc.) that is influenced by their climate distress. I found that for participants, the food domain constitutes a critical and accessible area of climate action. Negotiated using personal and relational enablers, and against systemic barriers, participants’ food practice is reconfigured by the incorporation of alternative materials, meanings, and competencies. The main motivations for alternative food practices identified by participants include contributing to socio-ecological well-being and transformation towards climate futures and reaping benefits to personal well-being. In turn, the ability to contribute to ecological health, paired with a conscientious framing of their individual agency, allows participants to manage their climate distress and sustain their alternative food practices over time. A practice-theoretical approach reveals the ways in which alternative food practices embody meanings and food realities distinct from conventional food systems, while sometimes remaining entangled within them. This research provides insight into the experiences in alternative food practices of young adults with climate distress, which are poorly understood, and identifies pathways for further research on examining and easing climate distress.

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