Three Minute Thesis 2024

1st Place UC Education Heat

Social Identity and Community Food Project Participation

Social identity theory posits that social identity develops through the social groups we see ourselves as a part of and that through this identity our behaviour changes to become more in keeping with the behaviour of the group. Psychologists and social scientists have long accepted that our social identity has a direct influence on our behaviour (Fielding et al., 2008; Tajfel, 1974). In short ‘If I see myself as a food grower, I become a food grower’. Behaviour change is widely accepted as an essential process of transitioning to a more sustainable food system, needed to combat the negative effects of anthropologically driven climate change (Hoek et al., 2021; Pearson et al., 2014; Reisch, 2021). Natural disasters, which are predicted to increase with the changing climate, disrupt food supply chains and worsen food insecurity (Masozera et al., 2007; Smith & Lawrence, 2015; van Aalst, 2006).Community food projects, with their shorter supply chains and strong community cohesion, have demonstrated greater resilience compared to supermarkets in the face of natural disasters (MacMahon et al., 2015; Smith & Lawrence, 2015). Therefore, community food projects play an important role in both sustainability and food resilience. Bartels and Hoogendam (2011) investigated the relationship between salient identification with environmental consciousness and organic consumer identities. Finding that a stronger environmentally conscious identity, led to a stronger organic consumer identity. Similarly, Fielding and Hornsey (2016) found through a review of environmental identity literature that a pro-environmental social identity can promote pro-environmental behaviours. Furthermore, when investigating social environmental identity formation through environmental education programs, Williams and Chawla (2015) found that direct contact with nature during childhood is linked to having a stronger and more enduring environmental identity into adulthood. Specifically, participants retained a salient environmental identity up to 40 years after participating in hands-on environmental education programs as children.

This research comprises three distinct studies, each examining a crucial stakeholder in community-based food projects: pre-service teachers and school gardens, social entrepreneurs and food-based business, and community gardeners and community gardens. The first study applies a mixed method approach of surveys, interviews and reflective journals to explore the evolution of pre-service teachers' food growing identities through their participation in community garden workshops and how, if at all, their food-identities influence their teaching practice. The second study adopts a grounded theory approach to unravel the influence of social identity on food-based entrepreneurial identity and enterprise orientation. While the third study takes an ethnographic approach to understanding how food-growing identities form and evolve through the social process of community gardening. Collectively, the three studies will enhance our comprehension of the influence of social identity on engagement in community food projects. This insight has the potential to reveal strategies for encouraging environmentally sustainable behaviour change, fostering increased involvement in community food projects, and identifying educational strategies to nurture food-growing identities.

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UC Visualise Your Thesis 2023

The Role of Hobbyist Beekeepers in British Food Security

Pollination is an essential ecosystem service, contributing to global food production and food security. Honeybees are one of the most important pollinators of crops globally, and their presence has been shown to increase yields, uniformity and the nutritional value of food produced. Honeybees have been subject to a number of problems in recent years, from pests and disease to pesticide poisoning. In the UK, an estimated 97% of beekeepers are hobbyist beekeepers who earn little to no income from beekeeping yet have the potential to provide valuable pollination services. The purpose of this Masters study was to calculate the value of crop pollination in the UK provided by hobbyist beekeepers, establish beekeeper perceptions on current beekeeping issues and identify support measures that would be beneficial to the hobbyist beekeeper.

Crop pollination was calculated using an adapted dependency ratio method, and the value of crop pollination provided by hobbyist beekeepers is estimated to be between £253.3 and £266.1 million. An online survey was circulated among beekeepers, from which 296 responses were received. Survey results were analysed using The Friedman Test and Chi-square. Significant associations were found between gender and number of hives (p=0.01), gender and length of time beekeeping (p=0.001), training and number of hives (p=0.004) and length of time beekeeping and number of hives (p=0.00). The perceived biggest impact on bee health was pests & disease, and the preferred support measure identified by respondents was an increase in pest and disease funding. Interviews were also carried out with beekeepers to build on survey results and identify any new areas of that would benefit the study. Interview transcripts were analysed by way of thematic analysis, four main themes were identified, pests and disease, current beekeeper support, forage, and bee imports. A multifaceted and collaborative approach is suggested for future approaches to targeting beekeeper concerns and aid in improving bee health. Further research into beekeeper demographic and their responses to beekeeping issues, as well as the hobbyist beekeepers contribution to urban agriculture, is recommended.