ABSTRACT
There is a growing consensus among critical food scholars, activists, and practitioners that critical food systems pedagogy must be an urgent focal point to any putative efforts to scale up a pluriverse of alternative food systems. This chapter positions Campus Food Growing Spaces (CFGS) as fertile ground for increased scholarly and pedagogical attention. Drawing on informal learning theory and free space literature, we demonstrate how CFGS constitute a paradigmatic break—perhaps yet incomplete—from conventional agriculture education, from which students can (and do) prefigure more equitable and sustainable food systems. The chapter draws empirically on the preliminary results of a Canada-wide survey of students (N=65) engaged in CFGS across Canada; a detailed scan of postsecondary institution websites for mention of various CFGS (N=~72); participation in an emerging network of those involved with CFGS across Canada; and our embodied experiences in working with students (and working as a student, second author) to advocate for, and learn within, CFGS.
