ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how political economy might be expanded to raise new questions for researchers, practitioners and social movement actors engaged in collaborative efforts to transform foodscapes. We suggest that scholars must seriously consider the possibilities for a political economy of regenerative food systems – that is, food systems that feed people, work with nature and are controlled by those that grow, harvest and forage for food – in order to critically address flows of power. Building on a critical review of the literature and reflection on our own research, we propose potential hybridizations of the political economy of food with other conceptual developments in food systems research, including decolonizing approaches, feminist groundings, post-capitalist approaches, co-production of knowledge and nature, and engaged scholarship. When combined with a political economy framework, these approaches expand the potential to advance sustainable food systems, integrating innovative theoretical and practical perspectives along with related methodological tools. This approach offers new and exciting horizons for the political economy of regenerative food systems.
