Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Sociological Inquiry
Author ORCID Identifier
Alexander Theophilus https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8467-1643
Volume
96
Issue
1
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Publication Date
3-6-2025
First Page
1
Last Page
39
Abstract
Food sovereignty, a framework focused on systemic change in the food system that accounts for food access, food justice, and food security, is an important driver of community wellbeing. However, the complex determinants of food sovereignty are not fully understood. Interdisciplinary assessments of food systems are needed to establish the impact of socioeconomic status, race, gender, and other social identities on food access. Understanding the goals and lived experiences of diverse communities and community members is critically important to advancing research on the sociology of food and agriculture. Drawing from community interviews addressing local food systems in six different communities in Washington’s Upper Yakima River Basin, a qualitative assessment of expert perspectives on local and regional food systems illuminates perceived connections between food sovereignty and wellbeing. Findings suggest that food access and dependence on local agriculture varies across and within communities. Additionally, we find that agriculture is undergoing social, economic, and political transitions that may have immense community impacts moving forward. Given the diverse array of both agricultural and recreational economies in the study site, qualitative data informs our understanding of stakeholder perceptions at multiple levels of the food system. The implications of these findings lead to a forward-looking discussion of linkages between food dimensions and other variables that impact local and regional wellbeing.
Recommended Citation
Theophilus, A., Ulrich-Schad, J.D. and Flint, C.G. (2026), Community-Level Food Sovereignty and Wellbeing in the Upper Yakima River Basin: Framing Lived Experiences within Multi-Scalar Food Systems Discourse. Sociol Inq, 96: 67-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.70006
Comments
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Theophilus, A., Ulrich-Schad, J.D. and Flint, C.G. (2026), Community-Level Food Sovereignty and Wellbeing in the Upper Yakima River Basin: Framing Lived Experiences within Multi-Scalar Food Systems Discourse. Sociol Inq, 96: 67-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.70006, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.70006. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.