As a mature student, Anisah Madden came to Trent University to better understand the many factors impacting global food insecurity. Since then, the fourth-year International Development Studies undergraduate has put her tireless passion for working in the field, on campus, and now in print for the Canadian Journal of Development Studies.

Ms. Madden’s review of Nora McKeon’s “Food Security Governance; Empowering Communities, Regulating Corporations” evaluates the book’s central claim that civil society groups might influence the overall direction of global food policy through the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

Ms. Madden took part in a summer field course on International Food Policy in Rome, where she learned about the CFS and the CSM’s participation in global food policy discussions.  She subsequently approached International Development Studies (IDS) professor, Dr. A Haroon Akram-Lodhi, about pursuing a half-credit reading course on the effectiveness of the CFS, and producing a book review as a final project.

“Professor Akram-Lodhi’s confidence in me to write a book review worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal was invaluable,” she stated. “In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of Trent’s IDS program gave me the opportunity to investigate the complex factors contributing to global food insecurity with emphasis on critical analysis and action.”

As an active member of the Trent community, Ms. Madden notes how her academics and extra-curricular activities have come together seamlessly.

“The kinds of questions I am thinking about now inform my academic work and also influence the way I engage with the community-based research and extra-curricular projects I am involved in at Trent,” she revealed. “I think this ongoing conversation between theory and practice is the foundation for any work we do in the world.”