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Charu Charu (100131017)

ENGL 100 10

Dr. Alicia Fahey

October 23, 2020

Synthesis Essay

Over the years, food has advanced where people have progressed from indigenous foods and have

embraced modern types of foods and this is a situation that has continued to threaten indigenous food's

existence. On the other hand, when food is being used as an economic engagement, some individuals dominate

the market ruling out the primary participants and these are the people that played a major role in food

production. This is to means there is a problem in the global food production industry. Different researchers

and authors have dug deep into the issue to determine the root cause for example, Allen and Carolyn in their

research article "Women and food chains: The gendered politics of food." Also, Bagelman, in the article

"Unsettling food security: the role of young people in the Indigenous food system revitalization" tried to handle

the issue but from a different perspective as Allen and Carolyn. In the two articles, some meaningful arguments

and recommendations can be said to connect properly despite having issues from different authors. This essay

shall hence focus on synthesizing these two articles to identify the common themes.

Poor food production, distribution, and involvement systems are a common theme in both articles. The

authors in the two articles have dwelt on the issue of food from a dimension that there is a major challenge that

has an issue from the fact that there is no equal representation of members of the community when it comes to

food production, distribution, and engagement. In the article by Allen and Carolyn; the authors categorically

state that “Women perform the majority of food-related work, but they control few resources and hold little

decision-making power in the food industry and food policy” (Allen, and Carolyn, 23). This is a statement that

proves that women in society are the main participants when it comes to the production and use of food, but

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they are the least beneficiaries. The reason is that in the food chain; males have dominated the market pushing

aside women who have labored to make sure that the food is produced and get into the market in the highest

quality possible. The claims that it is only fair for the women to be included in the decision-making process of

the food industry and governing policies (Allen, and Carolyn, 30). The reason why this is important is that

women understand the most crucial aspects of the food industry and hence can contribute to developing quality

policies and an environment that would make the food chain business profitable. Moreover, it would be an

effective way the main contributors would benefit from their engagements.

In the article by Bagelman, the author states that are the Canadian indigenous people are facing food

insecurity due to the underproduction of indigenous foods. The author claims that many children especially

below the age of six from indigenous communities are suffering from malnutrition. For instance, in the article it

is stated “Among the ways of life that were actively stripped from children was their access to their food

systems and knowledge that would have been shared with them by their elders” (Bagelman, 220). This shows

how the food industry in Canada has failed to take into consideration all members of the community in a

manner they will benefit from the food production and distribution channels in place.

The power to resolve the food issues affecting specific regions rely on the locals is also a common

theme in both of the articles. For instance in the article by Allen and Carolyn; the solution is w ith the

government through the establishment of channels and systems where women who are the main participants in

the industry can be involved in decision making concerning the industry. On the other hand, in the article by

Bagelman the author claims that the solution to revitalizing indigenous foods in Canada lies with the young

people. According to the article, young people can learn to do what is necessary and change the situation for the

better. For instance, it is stated “Passing on knowledge of food systems to younger generations has been

identified as a top priority for ensuring the survival and flourishing of Indigenous communities” (Bagelman,

223) This is to mean that the food problems that different regions are facing have locally available solutio ns and

it all requires designing a solution and implementing it thereby covering all the affected individuals or groups.

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In conclusion, the issue of food is expansive and affects people in different ways depending on the main

challenge being faced. The different food issues discussed are of great importance because they have helped in

creating awareness on the issue and have also developed solutions to the identified problems. For instance, the

article by Allen and Carolyn is an eye-opener for women who work hard to produce food and ends up

benefiting the least either economically or health-wise. Balgelman’s article has also created awareness on the

importance of indigenous food among Canadian indigenous communities and what can be done to resolve the

problem. For further research, it is important to understand whether or not Canada or other countries due to

advanced technology in agriculture still have the right environment suitable for indigenous farming.

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Works Cited

Allen, Patricia, and Carolyn Sachs. "Women and food chains: The gendered politics of food." Taking food

public: Redefining food ways in a changing world (2012): 23-40.

Bagelman, Caroline. "Unsettling food security: the role of young people in Indigenous food system

revitalization." Children & Society 32 (2018): 219-232.