ABSTRACT

Food waste is a global societal meta-challenge requiring a sustainability transition involving everyone, including publics. However, to date, much transitions research has been silent on the role of public participation and overly narrow in its geographical reach. In response, this paper examines whether the ecologies of participation (EOP) approach provides a conceptual framing for understanding the role of publics within food waste transitions in Singapore. First the specificities of Singapore's socio-political context and its food waste management system is reviewed, before discussing dominant, diverse and emergent forms of public engagement with food waste issues. This is followed by in-depth consideration of how participation is being orchestrated by two surplus food redistribution initiatives. Our analysis finds the EOP beneficial in its elevation of participation within the transitions field. It also provides a useful means to deconstruct elements that comprise participation practices and discuss culture-specific motivations, organisational realities and visceral experiences.

摘要

餐厨垃圾是全球性的社会性挑战，需要包括公众在内的所有人的可持续发展转型。但是，迄今为止，许多过渡研究都对公众参与的作用保持沉默，并且其地理范围过于狭窄。作为回应，本文研究了参与生态（EOP）方法是否为理解公众在新加坡食物垃圾过渡中的作用提供了概念框架。首先，首先讨论新加坡的社会政治背景及其食物垃圾管理系统的特殊性，然后再讨论与食物垃圾问题相关的主导，多样化和新兴形式的公众参与。接下来是深入考虑两个剩余食品再分配计划如何协调参与。我们的分析发现，EOP有助于提高过渡领域内的参与度。它还提供了一种有用的手段来解构构成参与实践的元素，并讨论特定于文化的动机，组织现实和内在经历。