African Philosophy and the Politics of Food Systems

This open access edited volume argues that food systems need to be questioned on ethical and epistemic grounds, and firmly posits African philosophy as a valuable and much-needed source in doing so. It presents critical perspectives on the ethical and epistemic complexities of food systems whilst also providing a practical outlook through success stories of food systems underpinned by African ways of thinking and doing. The central premise is the necessity of taking an intercultural approach in examining and re-thinking food systems successfully, which means to draw from and do justice to a diversity of knowledge. As such, it sets out to challenge the status quo and the prevailing western dominant narrative whilst asserting its importance alongside other forms of knowledge in tackling issues in the food system. The book introduces the reader into the politics of food systems, while highlighting the relevance of African philosophy through illuminating the relationship between ongoing western hegemony and the violation of the universal human right to food. Case studies across the continent are presented to unearth and critique inequalities and injustices in various domains of Africa's agricultural sector, ranging from seed systems to markets. However, first and foremost, the book presents African philosophy as an essential source for bringing back balance and justice in food systems that can feed all. To this end, the book starts from African philosophy, such as ubu-ntu, Akan and Shona Philiosophy, and illustrates ethical and epistemic inquiries with real-life examples in practice. This is a must-read for both academics and advanced (masters-level) students interested in African perspectives on food systems.

Birgit Boogaard works as a researcher and senior lecturer at the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (KTI) chair group of Wageningen University (WUR), where she teaches courses such as "African Philosophy" and "Social Justice, Technology and Development". Her courses have won multiple "Excellent Education Awards" at WUR and in 2022, she was awarded WUR's Teacher of the Year 2022. In 2023, she was awarded NAtional Teacher of the Year in the Netherlands. Her research interests include African philosophy, agriculture, food system transformation, international development, intercultural dialogues, and epistemic justice. She received her interdisciplinary PhD in Rural Sociology and Animal Sciences from Wageningen University. Previously, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), living in Mozambique for two years. With her interdisciplinary background, she aims at a substantial integration of philosophy, social sciences and natural sciences.
Mogobe Bernard Ramose obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy) degree from the Catholic University of Louvain (KUL) in Belgium. He holds a Master of Science degree (International Relations) from the University of London: The London School of Economics and Political Science. Ethics, African Philosophy and philosophy of law are his special areas of interest. He is research Professor in Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Department of Clinical Psychology, GaRankuwa South Africa. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies. His book, African philosophy through ubuntu, is translated into Dutch. He has published many articles in peer-reviewed journals and as chapters in books. He is a widely quoted author.
Sally Diop is a master student in Plant Sciences at Wageningen University (WUR) with a particular interest in the philosophy and practice of knowledge integration. Her thesis research explores how various perspectives from African philosophy and academic systems thinking on agriculture can conjointly inspire an intercultural approach to international agricultural research for development.
Yeshewas Ebabu is an Assistant Professor at the University of Gondar, College of Social Sciences and Humanities. He received his BA and MA degrees in Philosophy and Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Human Rights Studies from Addis Ababa University. The title of his Ph.D. dissertation is “The Human Right to Food and the Post-1991 Ethiopian State’s Obligation: A Case Study on Simada Woreda and Gulele Sub-city” in which he investigated the state of the human right to food in varying socioeconomic contexts of Ethiopia, by taking rural (Simada) and urban (Gulele) as study cases, and the compliance of the Ethiopian state to its obligations to the right.
David Ludwig is an associate professor in at the "Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation" (KTI) chair group of Wageningen University and the principal investigator of the "Global Epistemologies and Ontologies" (GEOS) project. He works at the intersection of philosophy of science and development studies with a focus on knowledge diversity among heterogenous actors from Indigenous communities to academically trained scientists. David is passionate about critical thinking about development and about turning philosophical reflection into meaningful and collaborative action.
Sally Diop is a master student in Plant Sciences at Wageningen University (WUR) with a particular interest in the philosophy and practice of knowledge integration. Her thesis research explores how various perspectives from African philosophy and academic systems thinking on agriculture can conjointly inspire an intercultural approach to international agricultural research for development.