Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food systems with disproportionate impacts on marginalized social groups, which in the USA included racial and ethnic minorities, working class families, immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. The pandemic also greatly affected the operations...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1559153/full |
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| author | Dikshya Dahal Tania M. Schusler |
| author_facet | Dikshya Dahal Tania M. Schusler |
| author_sort | Dikshya Dahal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food systems with disproportionate impacts on marginalized social groups, which in the USA included racial and ethnic minorities, working class families, immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. The pandemic also greatly affected the operations of nonprofit organizations, which play important roles in disaster response. We explored how social networks supported non-profit organizations’ efforts to address increased food insecurity and food-related business disruptions during the pandemic in the Chicago region, IL, USA. We used mixed methods including a Social Network Analysis (SNA) of 48 organizations and their reported partners plus focus group discussions with representatives of 20 organizations to learn about their experiences. SNA revealed that partnership interactions occurred more often among organizations of similar type or within the same sector, although cross-sectoral interactions also took place. Over half of the interactions occurred through established relationships among organizations, while at least 32% of interactions involved newly created partnerships. Focus group participants reported that partnering with other entities was essential to implement program activities, increase resources (e.g., funding, volunteers, food and supplies for distribution, facilities or land), and expand outreach and services to broader audiences. Yet, participants also described challenges of collaboration, such as disrespectful treatment, inequitable workloads, and poor coordination among some partners. Building genuine relationships, clarifying roles, sharing resources equitably, and fostering trust through transparency and accountability were recommended for effective partnerships. Our results demonstrate the importance of social networks to overcome challenges caused by disasters and suggest directions for future research exploring how to foster cross-sectoral collaborations to create equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-509cd3ab0c2f4cefb7a68eece47c4b95 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-509cd3ab0c2f4cefb7a68eece47c4b952025-08-20T02:02:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-06-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15591531559153Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemicDikshya Dahal0Tania M. Schusler1Department of Sociology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United StatesSchool of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United StatesThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food systems with disproportionate impacts on marginalized social groups, which in the USA included racial and ethnic minorities, working class families, immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. The pandemic also greatly affected the operations of nonprofit organizations, which play important roles in disaster response. We explored how social networks supported non-profit organizations’ efforts to address increased food insecurity and food-related business disruptions during the pandemic in the Chicago region, IL, USA. We used mixed methods including a Social Network Analysis (SNA) of 48 organizations and their reported partners plus focus group discussions with representatives of 20 organizations to learn about their experiences. SNA revealed that partnership interactions occurred more often among organizations of similar type or within the same sector, although cross-sectoral interactions also took place. Over half of the interactions occurred through established relationships among organizations, while at least 32% of interactions involved newly created partnerships. Focus group participants reported that partnering with other entities was essential to implement program activities, increase resources (e.g., funding, volunteers, food and supplies for distribution, facilities or land), and expand outreach and services to broader audiences. Yet, participants also described challenges of collaboration, such as disrespectful treatment, inequitable workloads, and poor coordination among some partners. Building genuine relationships, clarifying roles, sharing resources equitably, and fostering trust through transparency and accountability were recommended for effective partnerships. Our results demonstrate the importance of social networks to overcome challenges caused by disasters and suggest directions for future research exploring how to foster cross-sectoral collaborations to create equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1559153/fullresiliencefocus groupssocial network analysissocial equitycommunity food systems |
| spellingShingle | Dikshya Dahal Tania M. Schusler Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems resilience focus groups social network analysis social equity community food systems |
| title | Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | benefits and challenges of collaborative networks addressing food system disruptions during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | resilience focus groups social network analysis social equity community food systems |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1559153/full |
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