Examining Political Pragmatism and Food Democracy: A Detailed Analysis

This essay examines the philosophy of political pragmatism, particularly its application in the context of food democracy. It begins by defining pragmatism as a practical approach that prioritizes facts and reality over theories and ideologies, contrasting it with idealism. The essay then explores the importance of food democracy in ensuring access to safe and nutritious food, and how political pragmatism provides the necessary ingredients and skills for transformative paths within this context. The role of pragmatism in achieving sustainability and transforming societal values is also highlighted. The essay concludes that political pragmatism is crucial for making decisions when outcomes are uncertain, and for fostering community values. The paper references various academic sources to support its arguments.

Summary
Political pragmatism is basically a philosophy developed in America. In many
aspects, this approach plays one of the major roles. It had been primarily observed by
Tocqueville during his journey through the country (Good et al. 2017). It is a practical
approach in which the main focus is on the fact and the reality instead of focussing on the
theories and ideologies. Pragmatism generally considered as a logical as well as reasonable
way of taking any particular action or thinking about any work or movement on the basis of
the current situational fact (Hassanein 2012). While taking action, theory is not considered as
the main focus rather, the fact is highlighted more. The reality in any particular situation or
condition gets the main priority in this approach. There are huge differences between the
principles of idealism and pragmatism. The pragmatism leaders always focus on the practical
but the idealistic leaders are more likely to focus on the visionary as well as the theory
(Levkoe 2014). When it is important to get the end result, the pragmatic leaders prefers to
view the entire picture considering it as a linear approach which can be helpful in thinking as
well as in taking action. In this way, idealism and pragmatism in politics differs from each
other. Food democracy is one of the important terms for the population of all the
communities of all over the world. In order to emphasize the right of getting safe as well as
well nutritious food, food democracy plays an important role and with the help of it, human
being gets the right. Food democracy is also helpful in providing an idea of gaining
momentum across all the communities from all the countries of all over the world (Scherb et
al. 2017). With the help of it, common people can establish rules to encourage the
safeguarding of the soil, water as well as the ecosystem. In this way, the sustainability also
becomes possible and easier to maintain. Therefore, the role of food democracy is very much
essential in achieving the sustainability. The heart of democratic politics is considered as the
pragmatism. In the politics of transformation to food democracy, pragmatic approach is

effective enough that provides right ingredients as well as skills because it produces
transformative path (Scherb et al. 2017). Embracing the pragmatic approach in achieving the
transformation in an effective way is highly efficient as well as affirmative because
pragmatism works on practical basis and it supports with practical alternatives. Therefore, it
can be said that the importance of political pragmatism in the transformation to food
democracy is effective and important also. In the conclusion it can be said that if the
decisions are uncertain and consequences are also not clear, political pragmatic approach is
helpful in making choices (Levkoe 2014). Achieving sustainability is necessary and it is only
possible when a group of community gathers together. It increases the value of society.
Considering the outcome, pragmatic approach is useful in this. Transforming the societal
values is also possible with political pragmatic approach. At last it can be concluded that
transforming to food democracy, political pragmatism plays an essential role.

References
Good, R.M., Rivero, J.J., Zitcer, A., Umemoto, K., Lake, R.W., Baum, H., Forester, J. and
Harrison, P., 2017. Confronting the challenge of humanist planning/Towards a humanist
planning/A humanist perspective on knowledge for planning: implications for theory,
research, and practice/To learn to plan, write stories/Three practices of humanism and critical
pragmatism/Humanism or beyond?. Planning Theory & Practice, 18(2), pp.291-319.
Hassanein, N., 2012. Practicing food democracy: a pragmatic politics of
transformation. Taking food public. Redefining foodways in a changing world, pp.461-474.
Levkoe, C.Z., 2014. The food movement in Canada: A social movement network
perspective. Journal of Peasant Studies, 41(3), pp.385-403.
Scherb, A., Palmer, A., Frattaroli, S. and Pollack, K., 2016. Exploring food system policy: A
survey of food policy councils in the United States. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems,
and Community Development, 2(4), pp.3-14.