Academics in our Department of Sociology are answering questions posed on Twitter using the hashtag #Essex50 as part of our 50th Anniversary Research Theme showcase.

How do sociologists view concepts of urban food security and urban poverty?

"The world is facing a major challenge in feeding a population which is set to grow to nine billion by 2050 and is increasingly urban. Especially as agriculture is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases leading to climate change. As a result sociologists are increasingly working with environmental scientists to understand the challenges and risks faced by different societies, with some countries being land and water rich, others poor, in relation to their populations. We now need to understand different models of growth, new forms of sustainability regulation, to understand how different societies are interacting with their natural environments in order to meet the changing patterns of consumption and demand for food. I would suggest two possible references for you to read to find out more about this issue - my article on the 'Food-Energy-Climate Change Trilemma' in Theory, Culture and Society and Planet of the Slums by Mike Davis."

Professor Mark Harvey, ESRC Professorial Fellow in the Department of Sociology