The “Good Food” Project

Project lead: Isabela Bonnevera, ICTA-UAB

Cities around the world are recognizing the urgent need to transform our food systems to align with climate and equity goals — in other words, to make our food systems more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. But in many cities, immigrants have been left out of decision-making processes related to the food system, and little is known about what “sustainable food” means to diverse communities. 

The “Good Food” Project, led by ICTA-UAB/BCNUEJ researcher Isabela Bonnevera, seeks to understand the concept of sustainable food systems, or “good food”, through the perspectives of minoritized immigrant women in Vancouver, Canada. It uses Photovoice, a participatory action methodology which allows participants to highlight their lived experiences through photos and personal stories. Its findings demonstrate how immigrants actively engage with and reshape the concept of sustainable food, challenging the narrative that minoritized immigrant communities are uninterested in sustainability or “hard to reach”.

The “Good Food” Project was supported by the Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi) at Simon Fraser University, the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems (ISFS) at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), and the Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS).