Johanna Wilkes

BSIA Fellow PhD in Global Governance, 2025 MIPP, 2014

BSIA Fellow, Graduate

Johanna Wilkes

BSIA Fellow

PhD in Global Governance, 2025

MIPP, 2014

Contact Details

Johanna Wilkes, Ph.D. (she/her) is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow based out of Lakehead University. She also is a regional led for the FLOW Project and an advisory board member to the UNESCO Chair in Food, Biodiversity, and Sustainability Studies. Johanna focuses on state-led food systems transformations and the role of agroecological principles in this shift. Specialized in the areas of governance, public policy, and food systems politics, her work explores how government institutions tackle issues surrounding climate-resilient farming and sustainable futures.
Johanna holds a Ph.D. In Global Governance along with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree in Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics. In addition, Johanna holds a certificate in Agricultural Leadership Development and a Masters in International Public Policy. Her work has been featured in iPolitics, the Conversation Canada, and as part of the CC-UNESCO Building Back Better initiative.
Prior to starting her doctoral studies, Johanna served as a senior advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (2014 – 2017) and the Minister of Infrastructure (2017 – 2018). During her tenure, she helped to facilitate dialogue on policy and form collaborative process that empower community-led solutions.

Awards

Social Sciences and Humanities Resource Council Postdoctoral Fellowship (2025-2027)
Social Sciences and Humanities Resource Council Doctoral Fellowship (2022-2023)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2019-2020, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 (received but declined in favour of SSHRC).
Balsillie School of International Doctoral Fellowship (2018-2023)
Laurier Graduate Doctoral Fellowship (2018-2019)

Select Publications

Wilkes, J. (2026). Influence and legitimacy in public policy: investigating the Canadian agricultural subsystem. Agric Hum Values 43, 64.
Wilkes, J., Levkoe, C. Z., Andrée, P., & Clark, J. K. (2025). Strengthening democratic governance in times of crisis: Lessons from the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council. Canadian Food Studies/La Revue canadienne des études sur l’alimentation, 12(1), 140-144.
Levkoe, C. Z., Wilkes, J., & Andrée, P. (2025). Advancing food systems governance: Perspectives of Canadian civil society organizations. Journal of Civil Society, 21(1), 83-102.
Wilkes, J. (2024). Challenging Agricultural Norms and Diversifying Actors: Building Transformative Public Policy for Equitable Food Systems. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 13(3), 317-336.
Wilkes, J. (2022). Reconnecting with nature through good governance: inclusive policy across scales. Agriculture, 12(3), 382.
Wilkes, J., & Perttula, C. (2022). Priorities, Narratives, and Collaboration: Insights From Evolving Federal Mandates on Food Systems in Canada. Frontiers in Communication, 7, 793092.
Wilkes, J. (2022). Case: Backyard Chickens. Food Studies: Matter, Meaning, Movement.
Blay-Palmer, A., Spring, A., Nelson, E., & Valette, E., Johnston, C, Wilkes, J., Young, L., Benitez, B., Reid, H., and Di Battista, A. (2021). Food systems-beyond the buzz.