PhD position Inclusive food transitions: a transdisciplinary collaboration with inhabitants of...

In the Netherlands, the life expectancy of people with less formal education is 6 years shorter, and 15 years shorter in good health, than of people with more formal education. Food plays a major role in this difference in life expectancy. To render healthy, sustainable food accessible, affordable and attractive to people who need such food the most, the food system will need to change drastically - and particularly in disadvantaged neighbourhoods where health and sustainable food is scarce and too expensive for most of the inhabitants.
You will study possibilities for food system transformation to reduce health inequalities in the Netherlands. Existing research focusses predominantly on system players (such as governments and large corporations), and less on the daily life experiences of people who contribute to food system transformation at the local level. In addition, little attention has been paid to the way in which food system transformation may have an impact on people living in poverty. This PhD therefore focusses on food system transformation from the perspective of this group of people, a group that is underrepresented in both research and policy-making.
You will collaborate in (research on) existing initiatives in Amsterdam Southeast to render healthy and sustainable food affordable and accessible to people who are dependent on foodbanks (that often provide unhealthy food). These initiatives shorten food chains, thereby bringing food production and consumption more closely together. This includes, amongst others, setting up community gardens supplying fresh produce to foodbanks and public canteens, culturally-sensitive courses in healthy, sustainable and affordable cooking, or collaborations with nearby farms and food producers.
In addition, you will collaborate with researchers and practitioners in a larger project funded by the European Commission, named FOODCLIC. FOOCLIC focusses on the realization of strong interfaces for better collaboration between science, governance and practice in eight European city-regions: Barcelona, Berlin, Brasov, Budapest, Aarhus, Lissabon, Amsterdam and Lucca. Your PhD position provides a unique, practice-based perspective from the lifeworlds of Amsterdam Southeast's inhabitants and practitioners onto such large European projects that, too, aim for more inclusive sustainable food system transformations.
Next to your research, resulting in a PhD thesis, you will be teaching in courses given by the Athena Institute (~20% of your time). Research and teaching will be entwined with innovative Community Service Learning initiatives, which are central to the VU in general and the Athena Institute in particular. Your work will be supported with committed supervision and additional training in methods you are not familiar with.