Historicizing problematization: The coexistence of agrifood solutions to malnutrition in the Philippines

Abstract

This study draws on Foucault’s discussion on problematization and the perspective of multiplicity to examine five distinct agrifood solutions to malnutrition in the Philippines: rice biofortification, rice fortification, school gardening, brown rice consumption, and food supplementation. It highlights how these agrifood approaches have repeatedly re-emerged to address different formulations of the malnutrition problem across three historical periods. Furthermore, this research develops the concept of a ‘problem–solution constellation’ to illustrate how malnutrition and agrifood solutions form a pattern of juxtaposition in each historical period. By tracing problem–solution constellations across these three periods, the study also identifies certain agrifood solutions that did not emerge as viable in specific periods, which I term ‘non-solutions’. Overall, this historical analysis of problem–solution constellations advances the theorization on problematization in Science and Technology Studies (STS) in two key ways. First, it demonstrates that solutions often coexist across multiple historical periods, underscoring the importance of foregrounding the interplay of solutions. Second, it suggests that STS researchers ‘rescale’ their analysis from a technology-centered approach to one that examines problem–solution constellations. This rescaling could provide valuable insight into how we approach global issues as grand challenges.

Keywords

problematization agricultural development malnutrition

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