Document Type

Capstone Project

Publication Date

Spring 3-9-2026

Keywords

Stevenson Center, food sovereignty, GFPP, economic development, community development, Apartheid, cooperatives, desert, food systems, Good Food Purchasing, policy

Abstract

The research question for this project focuses on food sovereignty. “How do individuals working with food in Chicago identify their role in promoting food sovereignty?” is a research question that expands with some nuance into the question of “who” individuals are in terms of political orientation. When asked to identify political ideology and economic ideology, the values can be greater quantified. Using mixed-methods, this paper critically assesses perspectives of individuals working with food in Chicago. The online survey enumerates the individual perspectives, food culture, and sociopolitical interactions of food sellers, producers, and advocates. Ten interviews further establish 1) the sociopolitical nature of good food, 2) definitions for food sovereignty, and 3) self-identified political ideology. The following research in food sovereignty is the result of an 11-month internship with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) through the Illinois State University Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development. The results demonstrate that the individuals who work with food in Chicago surveyed and interviewed tend to be farther left-of-center in their political ideology, less authoritarian than libertarian, and active voters.

Faculty Project Director

John Kostelnick

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