“Workarounds and Roadblocks”: Risk and Resistance among Food Movement Activists

This article examines how activists involved in the food movement use different tactics intended to challenge and subvert the agrifood structures they encounter. We use data from interviews and participant observations with 57 food movement activists operating in less robust alternative food systems throughout the Southern Plains states of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Our respondents describe how they interpret their regional food systems as deliberately restrictive to the food movement and explain some of the tactical choices they make to maneuver around various constraints they claim hinder their food movement activism. In actively resisting the agricultural status quo, we find that some activists knowingly engage in forms of high-risk activism. We then examine the different framing devices food movement activists use to explain the risks generated by their tactical workarounds. Our findings contribute to the social movements and food system literature by showing how activists interpret and justify the risks generated by their resistance and by emphasizing the contextual nature of tactical choices and risk in social movement activism.

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MECHANISMS FOR ENSURING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY OF A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY

Vestnik Universiteta ◽

10.26425/1816-4277-2020-3-52-56 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 52-56

Author(s):

N. V. Mayorova ◽

M. K. Mayorov ◽

T. V. Bakhturazova ◽

D. A. Edelev

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Food Security ◽

Food Systems ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Political Stability ◽

Regional Food ◽

External Threats ◽

The Social ◽

Regional Food Systems ◽

The Russian Federation

The social and climatic factors that affect the global and regional food systems of states and regions have been highlighted in the article. The importance of ensuring food security and balanced nutrition of the population at a time of economic hardship to reduce the vulnerability of the economy and strengthen the political stability of the Russian Federation, to build capacity to withstand the crisis and rapid recovery from it has been noted. The problems of food security and tasks aimed at preventing internal and external threats, sustainable development of domestic production sufficient to ensure food independence and state sovereignty have been considered.

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How New Food Networks Change the Urban Environment: A Case Study in the Contribution of Sustainable, Regional Food Systems to Green and Healthy Cities

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13020481 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 481

Author(s):

Noël van Dooren ◽

Brecht Leseman ◽

Suzanne van der Meulen

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Design Studies ◽

Sustainable Food Systems ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Regional Food ◽

Regional Food Systems ◽

Green System

More and more people worldwide live in urban areas, and these areas face many problems, of which a sustainable food provision is one. In this paper we aim to show that a transition towards more sustainable, regionally organized food systems strongly contributes to green, livable cities. The article describes a case study in the Dutch region of Arnhem–Nijmegen. Partners of a network on sustainable food in this region were interviewed on how they expect the food system to develop, and in design studies possible futures are explored. Both the interviews and the designs give support to the idea that indeed sustainable food systems can be developed to contribute to green livable cities. They show that the quality and meaning of existing green areas can be raised; new areas can be added to a public green system, and connections with green surroundings are enforced. They also show that inhabitants or consumers can be stimulated to become so called food citizens, highlighting that the relation of food systems and livable cities is a very close one.

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Moving local food through conventional food system infrastructure: Value chain framework comparisons and insights

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170510000384 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 13-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

J. Dara Bloom ◽

C. Clare Hinrichs

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Local Food ◽

Direct Marketing ◽

Urban Region ◽

Regional Food ◽

Wide Range ◽

Regional Food Systems

AbstractThere is growing recognition that the direct marketing initiatives favored by many local food activists and proponents often lack the capacity to meet rapidly expanding consumer demand for local food. To address these needs, some food systems researchers have identified a role for ‘transitional’ food systems that piggyback on the pre-existing, conventional local food system infrastructure, while moving toward the social and economic benefits of direct marketing. This paper uses a value chain model (based on business management studies and adapted to the context of agrifood enterprises) as a framework for investigating how actors who are accustomed to working within the logic of the traditional produce industry incorporate local food into their overall operations. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, the paper examines how features of the value chain structure and governance mechanisms operate in two food distribution networks that are transitioning toward localization in a rural and an urban region of Pennsylvania, respectively. Case study analysis focuses on conventional wholesale produce distributors as the link between local producers and local buyers. Interviews with the distributors, producers and buyers reveal the sources and outcomes of challenges affecting how the distributors organize their purchasing and selling of local produce. Network practices, in turn, have equity implications as distributors struggle to pay producers enough to maintain their economic viability, while still making local produce accessible to a wide range of consumers. Policy-makers and practitioners seeking to support the ‘scaling up’ of local and regional food systems should consider targeted development of technical infrastructure in processing and distribution, as well as outreach on appropriate shared ownership models. Future research should be longitudinal to determine the longer-term role and contribution of the conventional food system infrastructure in transitioning to more sustainable local and regional food systems.

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Where do "localphiles" shop?: A mixed-methods case study of food-buying habits

Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development ◽

10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.023 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Emily McKee

Keyword(s):

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Local Food ◽

Small Scale ◽

Regional Food ◽

Mixed Methods Case Study ◽

Regional Food Systems ◽

Attitude Behavior ◽

Small Scale Farmers

Why, with local food’s rising popularity, do small-scale farmers report declining sales? This study used a mix of survey and interview methods to examine the priorities and buying habits of food shoppers in one midsized, lower-income metropolitan area of the U.S. Midwest. The study focuses on individual consumers’ decision-making because it aims to be useful, in particular, to small-scale farmers and advocates of their participation in local and regional food systems. Among shoppers’ stated priorities, the survey found broad support for local food and relatively low competition between price and local origin as purchasing priorities. However, findings also show an attitude-behavior gap, with only a limited increase in tendency among self-defined “local” shoppers to purchase from locally oriented venues. As explanation for this attitude-behavior gap, survey and interview data point to differential definitions of “local food” and situational barriers (primarily inconvenience and lack of variety) preventing shoppers from buying local food. One factor offsetting these barriers was past experience growing one’s own food. Study findings are used to identify particular avenues for intervention by farmers, eaters, and other food systems builders to broaden access to local food through adjustments to marketing strategies, better alignment of wholesale outlets’ practices with the priorities of farmers and eaters, and improved public education about the food system.

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Controlled environment agriculture and containerized food production in northern North America

Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development ◽

10.5304/jafscd.2021.104.001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Alex Wilkinson ◽

Craig Gerlach ◽

Meriam Karlsson ◽

Henry Penn

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Food Systems ◽

Local Food ◽

Systems Design ◽

Regional Food ◽

The North ◽

The Social ◽

Controlled Environment Agriculture ◽

Regional Food Systems

There is an ongoing debate about the role of controlled environment agriculture and containerized food production in local food systems in Northern North American communities. Some critics dismiss these applications as ineffective, arguing that because they marginalize certain populations they do not have a place in northern food systems. However, such critiques are premature and undermine what may prove to be an important and complementary component of local and regional food systems in the north, particularly if designed and implemented in a culturally appropriate and place-based context. Containerized food production can offer enhanced food production capabilities for communities through year-round production. While there are still concerns about proper growing protocols, scalability, output, durability, and economics, these can be addressed, modified and improved through research and continued applications. New opportunities requiring further exploration in the application of containerized food production systems include, but are not limited to, integrative systems design, the enhancement of community development initiatives, and the integration of the social networks that are necessary for diversified local food production.

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The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063423 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3423

Author(s):

Phillip Warsaw ◽

Steven Archambault ◽

Arden He ◽

Stacy Miller

Keyword(s):

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

The United States ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Farmers Markets ◽

Future Research ◽

Regional Food ◽

Recent Scholarship ◽

Fresh Food

Farmers markets are regular, recurring gatherings at a common facility or area where farmers and ranchers directly sell a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown farm products to consumers. Markets rebuild and maintain local and regional food systems, leading to an outsized impact on the food system relative to their share of produce sales. Previous research has demonstrated the multifaceted impacts that farmers markets have on the communities, particularly economically. Recent scholarship in the United States has expanded inquiry into social impacts that markets have on communities, including improving access to fresh food products and increasing awareness of the sustainable agricultural practices adopted by producers, as well developing tools for producers and market stakeholders to measure their impact on both producers and communities. This paper reviews the recent scholarship on farmers markets to identify recent trends and synthesizes the current evidence describing the ways in which farmers markets contribute to the wellbeing of their communities, as well as identifying areas for additional future research.

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Alternative Agri-Food Systems Under a Market Agencements Approach: The Case of Multifunctional Farming Activity in a Peri-Urban Area

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments8070061 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 61

Author(s):

Maria Cecilia Mancini ◽

Filippo Arfini ◽

Federico Antonioli ◽

Marianna Guareschi

Keyword(s):

Urban Area ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Large Body ◽

Alternative Food ◽

Design Stage ◽

Alternative Food Networks ◽

Alternative Food Systems ◽

Design And Implementation ◽

Trade Offs

(1) Background: A large body of literature is available on the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of alternative food systems, but not much of it is devoted to the dynamics underlying their design and implementation, more specifically the processes that make an alternative food system successful or not in terms of its sustainability aims. This gap seems to be particularly critical in studies concerning alternative food systems in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). This paper explores how the design and implementation of multifunctional farming activity in a peri-urban area surrounding the city of Reggio Emilia in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy impact the achievement of its sustainability aims. (2) Methods: The environmental, social, and economic components of this project are explored in light of the sociology of market agencements. This method brings up the motivations of the human entities involved in the project, the role played by nonhuman entities, and the technical devices used for the fulfillment of the project’s aims. (3) Results: The alternative food system under study lacked a robust design phase and a shared definition of the project aims among all the stakeholders involved. This ended in a substantial mismatch between project aims and consumer expectations. (4) Conclusions: When a comprehensive design stage is neglected, the threefold aim concerning sustainability might not be achievable. In particular, the design of alternative food systems must take into account the social environment where it is intended to be put in place, especially in UPA, where consumers often live in suburban neighborhoods wherein the sense of community is not strong, thus preventing them from getting involved in a community-based project. In such cases, hybridization can play a role in the sustainability of alternative food networks, provided that some trade-offs occur among the different components of sustainability—some components of sustainability will be fully achieved, while others will not.

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