A critical assessment of participation in stakeholder engagement in agrifood system research

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6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The importance of stakeholder engagement and a range of challenges with inclusion in stakeholder engagement has been well articulated in previous research. However, there has been less focus on how participation is shaped by factors such as race, ethnicity and gender. Previous research suggests that agrifood systems are often framed as a space dominated by white men. In this paper, we utilize the framing of social exclusion theory and an intersectional approach to analyze reporting and representation of gender and race of stakeholders in agrifood system studies archived in the Web of Science between 2000 and 2021. We also evaluate reporting and representation by type of research approach, discipline, and over time. Findings show that there is a lack of attention paid to reporting of demographics in empirical research utilizing stakeholder engagement and that women and racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented. Our results also show that participatory action studies are less likely to report gender and race demographics, that the lack of reporting and representation is persistent across disciplines, and that reporting and representation have somewhat improved over the past five years. We urge researchers to be more specific about whose voices they publish and encourage the inclusion of women and racial and ethnic minorities that are often overlooked as stakeholders in agricultural working landscapes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)221-234
Number of pages14
JournalSocio-Ecological Practice Research
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2022

Keywords

  • Agriculture
  • Environmental Justice
  • Gender
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Race
  • Stakeholder

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