Abstract
Visualization of the changing structure of the food system has played an important role in the Missouri School of Agrifood Studies’ research and outreach. The analogies and diagrams Missouri researchers have used to describe concentration and consolidation have aided our understanding of the extent of these phenomena, as well as their social impacts. This article discusses why visualization is effective for analyzing and presenting data. Recent advances in visualizing concentration and consolidation are described—these methods include 1) treemaps, 2) cartographic maps, 3) cluster diagrams, 4) taxonomic tree/timelines, and 5) animations. Examples utilizing data from the North American organic food industry illustrate the potential of visualization to improve analysis of recent structural changes, and to increase public awareness of the unequal distribution of power in the food system.
Recommended Citation
Howard, Philip. 2008. "Visualizing Food System Concentration and Consolidation." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 24(2): Article 5. Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/jrss/vol24/iss2/5
Publication Date
8-31-2008
