Reconnecting Roots: Food as a Bridge to Human, Social, and Cultural Capital

Abstract

The industrial food system has disconnected us from our relationship with food, from seed to compost. Threatening entire ecosystems, fostering an obesity epidemic, and socially isolating consumers from food processes, corporations have no empathy for health, culture, or the environment. Through mapping, case study analysis, and demographic analysis, the aim of this thesis is to demonstrate how the sharing of food, supported by Building Integrated Agriculture (BIA) can create healthy sustainable communities within an education-based cultural food hub in Halifax, NS that reconnects us to our food. The project will advocate the importance of growing, processing, cooking, and eating food with others and the cultural, environmental and health benefits from doing so. Placing emphasis on moving away from dependence on an industrial food system and more reliance on local food production and education that will build resilience and food security, through the imparting of food knowledge to the next generation.