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Dr Ferne Edwards

Research Fellow

School of Health & Medical Sciences Department of Population Health and Policy

Contact details

About

Overview

Ferne is an interdisciplinary social scientist based at the Centre for Food Policy, City University London. Her work explores the justice, politics and sustainability of diverse food economies in city-regions. Ferne has conducted ethnographies on food waste, urban beekeeping, alternative food economies, food sharing and food policy in Australia, Venezuela, Spain, Norway and the UK, contributing knowledge to urban natures, conservation, design, and healthy and resilient cities.

Ferne holds a PhD in cultural anthropology from the Australian National University. She has been involved in a wide range of international research projects, including SHARECITY, EdiCitNet and FoodCLIC. She is the editor of three books: Food for Degrowth: Perspectives and Practices (with Nelson, Routledge, 2021); Food, Senses and the City (with Gerritsen and Wesser, Routledge, 2021) and Urban Natures: Living the More-than-Human City (with Popartan and Pettersen, Berghahn, 2023). Her monograph based on almost twenty years of field research, Food Resistance Movements: Journeying through Alternative Food Networks, was published in 2023 (Palgrave).

At FixOurFood, Ferne is part of a work package that examines and contributes towards developing the policies, governance structures, and decision-making processes that are necessary to transform the UK’s food systems. Ferne also coordinates work package 1 of Joined Up Landscapes; part of the £15 million Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change programme that seeks to optimise the role of nature-based solutions in the UK for climate adaptation. In addition, Ferne is also an education coordinator for the Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning network across the UK. She is also available for supervision of doctoral students. 

Qualifications

  • Doctorate of Philosophy—Cultural Anthropology, Australian National University, Australia
  • Masters Social Science—International Urban and Environmental Management, RMIT University, Australia
  • Bachelor of Arts—Honours in Anthropology, University of Melbourne, Australia

Employment

  • Research Fellow, Centre for Food Policy, United Kingdom, April 2024 - present

Publications

Publications by category

Books (4)

  • Edwards, F., Popartan, L.A. and Pettersen, I.N. (2023). URBAN NATURES. Berghahn Books. ISBN 9781805390824.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Food Resistance Movements. Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F., Gerritsen, R. and Wesser, G. (Eds.), (2021). Food, Senses and the City. Routledge.
  • Nelson, A. and Edwards, F. (2021). Food for Degrowth Perspectives and Practices Preface. ISBN 9780367436469.

Chapters (37)

  • Edwards, F. and Nelson, A. (2025). Degrowth and food. Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society (pp. 123-125). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781800887428.
  • Edwards, F., Popartan, L.A. and Nilstad Pettersen, I. (2023). Introduction. Mapping the More-than-Human City in Theory, Methods and Practice. In Edwards, F., Popartan, L.A. and Nilstad Pettersen, I. (Eds.), Urban Natures: Living the More-than-Human City (pp. 1-30). Berghahn Books.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Preface. Oswald Spengler and the Politics of Decline (pp. xiv-xxi). Berghahn Books.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Preface, Urban Natures: Living the More-than-Human City. (pp. xiv-xxi).
  • Edwards, F., Popartan, L.A. and Pettersen, I.N. (2023). Mapping the more-than-human city in theory, methods and practice. Urban Natures Living the More than Human City (pp. 1-30).
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Reflections and future directions for researching urban natures. Urban Natures Living the More than Human City (pp. 293-305).
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Making urban natures visible (with a focus on insects). Urban Natures Living the More than Human City (pp. 47-61).
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Introducing Food Resistance Movements. Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias (pp. 1-27). Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Food Waste Activism in Australia. Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias (pp. 29-48). Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). The Food Sovereignty Movement in Venezuela. Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias (pp. 49-82). Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Autonomous Food Spaces in Catalonia. Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias (pp. 83-110). Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Reflections on Food System Transitions. Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias (pp. 111-146). Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F. (2023). Future Directions for Food Resistance Movements. Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias (pp. 147-152). Springer Nature Singapore. ISBN 9789811957949.
  • Edwards, F., Corsepius Melen, I., Syse, A. and Pettersen, I. (2022). Birds, bees and bats: Exploring possibilities for cohabitation in the more-than-human city. Design Research Society.
  • Edwards, F., Gerritsen, R. and Wesser, G. (2021). The 'food, senses, and the city' nexus. Food Senses and the City (pp. 1-26).
  • Edwards, F. (2021). Humming along: Heightening the senses between urban honeybees and humans. Food Senses and the City (pp. 54-66).
  • Edwards, F. (2021). Future directions for food, senses, and the city. Food, Senses and the City (pp. 229-239). Routledge.
  • Edwards, F., Pedro, S. and Rocha, S. (2021). Institutionalising degrowth Exploring multilevel food governance. FOOD FOR DEGROWTH (pp. 141-155). ISBN 9780367436469.
  • Edwards, F. (2021). Heightening the senses between urban honeybees and humans. FOOD, SENSES AND THE CITY (pp. 54-66). ISBN 9780367458232.
  • Nelson, A. and Edwards, F. (2020). Food for Degrowth. In Nelson, A. and Edwards, F. (Eds.), Routledge.
  • Edwards, F. and Espelt, R. (2021). Technology for degrowth: Implementing digital platforms for community supported agriculture in Catalonia. In Edwards, F. and Nelson, A. (Eds.), Food for Degrowth: Perspectives and Practices Routledge.
  • Edwards, F. and Nelson, A. (2021). Future research directions Food for degrowth. FOOD FOR DEGROWTH (pp. 213-226). ISBN 9780367436469.
  • Edwards, F. and Davies, A.R. (2020). Connective Consumptions: Mapping Melbourne’s Food Sharing Ecosystem. In Gurran, N., Maginn, P.J., Burton, P., Legacy, C., Curtis, C., Kent, A.... Binder, G. (Eds.), Disruptive Urbanism. Implications of the ‘Sharing Economy’ for Cities, Regions, and Urban Policy Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
  • Edwards, F. (2019). Venezuelan Food Sovereignty Movement. Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics (pp. 2421-2427). Springer Netherlands. ISBN 9789402411782.
  • Edwards, F. (2019). Alternative Food Networks. Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics (pp. 151-157). Springer Netherlands. ISBN 9789402411782.
  • Edwards, F., Dixon, J. and Beilin, R. (2018). Adopting a public health ecology approach to a key food security issue: apiary, bio-diversity and conservation. In Marsden, T. (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Nature London: SAGE Publications.
  • Edwards, F. (2017). Venezuelan Food Sovereignty Movement. Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics (pp. 1-7). Springer Netherlands. ISBN 9789400761674.
  • Edwards, F. (2016). Alternative Food Networks. Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics (pp. 1-7). Springer Netherlands.
  • Edwards, F. (2016). Urban food security and alternative economic practices. In Horne, R., Fien, J., Beza, B. and Nelson, A. (Eds.), Sustainability Citizenship and Cities: Theory and Practice London: Routledge.
  • Edwards, F. (2015). Free-ing foods?: Social food economies towards secure and sustainable food systems. Untamed Urbanisms (pp. 284-295).
  • Banwell, C., Dixon, J., Bambrick, H., Edwards, F. and Kjellstrom, T. (2015). The sociocultural context of climate change adaptation in Australia with a focus on hot weather. In Butler, C., Dixon, J. and Capon, A. (Eds.), Health of People, Places and Planet. Reflections based on Tony McMichael’s four decades of contribution to epidemiological understanding ANU.
  • Edwards, F. and Mercer, D. (2013). Gleaning from Gluttony: An Australian Youth Subculture Confronts the Ethics of Waste. Taking Food Public Redefining Foodways in A Changing World (pp. 195-210).
  • Edwards, F. and Mercer, D. (2013). Food waste in Australia: The freegan response. In Evans, D., Campbell, H. and Murcott, A. (Eds.), Putting Waste on the Food Studies Agenda: Production, Politics and Everyday Life Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Mikulak, M. (2013). Politics of the Pantry: Stories, Food, and Social Change. POLITICS OF THE PANTRY: STORIES, FOOD, AND SOCIAL CHANGE (pp. 1-250). ISBN 9780773542761.
  • Edwards, F. (2010). Seed industry. In Mulvaney, D. (Ed.), Green Food: An A-Z Guide SAGE.
  • Edwards, F. (2010). Counter culture. In Mulvaney, D. (Ed.), Green Politics: An A-Z Guide SAGE.
  • Davies, A.R., Cretella, A., Edwards, F. and Marovelli, B. The social practices of hosting P2P social dining events: Insights for sustainable tourism. In Minoia, P. and Jokela, S. (Eds.), Platform-mediated tourism: Social Justice and Urban Governance before and during Covid-19 Routledge.

Journal articles (34)

Reports (2)