Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Zabriskie, Queen

Keywords

Newtown, Sarasota, Florida, Food Security, Activism, Empowerment

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

This thesis examines how local activists and leaders of governmental and nongovernmental organizations address food insecurity in the Newtown neighborhood in Sarasota, Florida. Food insecure households are defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as those that have insufficient economic means or other resources to acquire enough food for their entire household. There are nine areas in Sarasota that have a high concentration of households that struggle with food insecurity. Newtown is one of these areas. This thesis adds to the existing literature on food insecurity by using empowerment as a theoretical framework to study programs designed to address food insecurity in Newtown. Specifically, using data from interviews with eight individuals and ethnographic research in Newtown. I argue that local activists and leaders attempt to address food insecurity by empowering individual residents to work towards revitalizing their community and disseminating resources related to health and wellness. I first look at how large and small governmental and nongovernmental organizations attempt to raise awareness and increase access to healthy food. I then examine the discourses of local activists and leaders about the importance of ownership and community control of local businesses. I argue that it is necessary to have residents engaged in these processes and that large and small organizations are important to addressing food insecurity in Newtown. I then examine the discourses of local activists and leaders about the importance of ownership and community control of local businesses. I argue that activists and leaders in the Newtown neighborhood see ownership and control of neighborhood economic resources as important strategies for empowering residents to revitalize their community on their own terms.

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