scholarly journals Claire Lamine, 2020, Sustainable Agri-food Systems : Case Studies in Transitions Towards Sustainability from France and Brazil, Bloomsbury Publishing, 208 pages.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Bonomelli
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems

scholarly journals “When We Stand up, They Have to Negotiate with Us”: Power Relations in and between an Agroindustrial and an Indigenous Food System in Bolivia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Jacobi ◽  
Aymara Llanque
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Food System ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Scientific Culture ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Production And Consumption

Our global food system is characterized by an increasing concentration and imbalance of power, with trade-offs between hunger, inequality, unsustainable production and consumption, and profit. A systematic analysis of power imbalances in food systems is required if we are to meet the 2030 Agenda vision of promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns and ending hunger and poverty. Such an analysis, with a view to a transformation to more sustainable and just food systems, requires tools to be developed and tested in real-life case studies of food systems. To better understand the structures and mechanisms around power in food systems, this study applies a political ecology lens. We adapted the “power cube” analysis framework that was proposed by the Institute of Development Studies for the analysis of spaces, forms, and levels of power. We apply the analysis of these three dimensions of power to two food systems in the tropical lowlands of Bolivia: one agroindustrial and one indigenous. After identifying food system actors, the food system spaces in which they interact, and what forms of power they use at what levels, we discuss some implications for an emerging scientific culture of power analyses in critical sustainability assessments. Mechanisms of hidden power undermine visible legislative power in both case studies, but in our example of an indigenous food system of the Guaraní people, visible power stays with a local community through their legally recognized and communally owned and governed territory, with important implications for the realization of the right to food.

scholarly journals Agroecological Transitions: A Systematic Review of Research Approaches and Prospects for Participatory Action Methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwan Sachet ◽  
Ole Mertz ◽  
Jean-François Le Coq ◽  
Gisella S. Cruz-Garcia ◽  
Wendy Francesconi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Agroecological Transition ◽  
The One ◽  
Primary Type

There have been many calls for an agroecological transition to respond to food shocks and crises stemming from conventional food systems. Participatory action research and transformative epistemologies, where communities are research actors rather than objects, have been proposed as a way to enhance this transition. However, despite numerous case studies, there is presently no overview of how participatory approaches contribute to agroecological transitions. The present article therefore aims to understand the effect of applying participatory action research (PAR) in agroecology. We undertook a systematic review of articles reporting methods and results from case studies in agroecological research. On the one hand, our systematic review of 347 articles shows that the agroecological research scope is broad, with all three types—as science, a set of practices and social movement—well-represented in the corpus. However, we can see a clear focus on agroecology “as a set of practices” as the primary type of use of the concept. On the other hand, we found a few case studies (23) with a participatory approach while most studies used extractive research methods. These studies show that understanding the drivers and obstacles for achieving an agroecological transition requires long-term research and trust between researchers and farmers. Such transformative epistemologies open doors to new questions on designing long-term PAR research in agroecology when confronted with a short-term project-based society.

scholarly journals Piloting a Meta-Database of Agroecological Transitions: An Example from Sustainable Cereal Food Systems

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 219
Author(s):  
Gianluca Stefani ◽  
Giuseppe Nocella ◽  
Giovanna Sacchi
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Agricultural Technology ◽  
Depth Information ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Coding Scheme ◽  
The Uk

Despite the fact that policy makers and governments are promoting the development of diverse agro-bio food systems to push and promote sustainability, they are challenging to implement because of a series of obstacles that hinder a successful transition from a conventional to an agro-ecological model of agriculture. Produce is extremely heterogeneous and agricultural technology is often not standard, rather alternative, and knowledge is contextual, tacit and place-specific. However, information about the characteristics of these systems is still sparse and difficult to analyse because of the complexity and multidimensionality. As a result, the aim of this paper is to review the existing literature in order to identify a coding system that allows for the creation of a meta-database of case studies on agroecological transitions. This coding system will be piloted in six case studies dealing with agrobiodiversity along cereal food systems producing grains, bread and pasta in France, Italy and the UK. In this analysis, we found that both the transition towards sustainable agriculture and the reduction of transaction costs require social innovation, which benefits from strong social capital. In the conclusions, we discuss the efficacy of the proposed coding scheme and its ability to capture in-depth information contained in similar case studies.

scholarly journals We Still Have to Eat: Communication Infrastructure and Local Food Organizing as Public Health Responses to COVID-19 in Greensboro, North Carolina

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne LeGreco ◽  
Jasmine Palmer ◽  
Marianna Levithan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Access ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Local Food ◽  
The United States ◽  
Communication Infrastructure ◽  
Initial Onset

Food insecurity remains a pervasive and persistent social justice concern, both locally and globally–a concern that was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This essay focuses on three short case studies around local food organizing, communication, and community in Greensboro, NC. Partners across three separate but related interventions leveraged their community and communication resources through listening sessions, surveys, and stories to ensure that individuals and families could continue to access food during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. By offering these case studies as an example of organizing (and reorganizing) during COVID-19, the analysis also opens up a conversation about power, resistance, and change at the intersections of poverty and access. Scholarly discussions of food insecurity continue to reinforce the need to address both food access and poverty in attempts to build resilient food systems. We take a community-engaged approach that emphasizes the importance of communication infrastructure to illustrate both the simple and mundane resources as well as the creative and innovative interventions that communities and their partners implemented during the initial onset of COVID-19 in the United States.

scholarly journals The Role of Localized Agri-Food Systems in the Provision of Environmental and Social Benefits in Peripheral Areas: Evidence from Two Case Studies in Italy

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Mantino ◽  
Francesco Vanni
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Peripheral Areas ◽  
New Institutions

The article focuses on the role of Localized Agri-food Systems (LAFS) in the provision of environmental and social benefits (ESBs) in peripheral areas, by comparing two case studies in Italy: bergamot production in Grecanic area (Calabria region) and a basket of local products in Garfagnana area (Tuscany region). On the basis of the evidence collected through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, the paper shows the different mechanisms by which LAFS may stimulate the provision of ESBs in such areas. In both case studies the provision of ESBs was the result of the interplay among three different types of drivers: markets factors, the set of policies implemented in the specific territorial context and collective actions performed by local actors to promote new governance patterns and new institutions. The article shows that in peripheral areas LAFS, alongside food production, have a strong potential in delivering a broad range of environmental and social benefits, which are highly valued by local communities and consumers. However, this potential varies to large extent according to the socio-economic and institutional settings, as well as on the type of interactions of market drivers with public policies and collective action.

Managing Complexity: Three Case Studies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall Curren ◽  
Ellen Metzger
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Water Management System ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Managing Complexity ◽  
Sustainability Problems ◽  
National Water

This chapter identifies problems of sustainability as systemic action problems and presents illustrative case studies in environmental governance: the management of energy, water, and food systems. It begins by examining the widely discussed idea that problems of sustainability are wicked problems, and argues that systemic complexity and decisional complexity are the factors fundamentally involved in such problems. This opening discussion of the nature of sustainability problems and the case studies that follow bring together and illustrate thematic strands of the preceding chapters, including the costs, benefits, and hazards of complexity, the respective roles of market and government mechanisms, and trans-boundary environmental governance. The illustrative cases concern the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Australia’s National Water Management System, and the changing patterns of food production in the Mekong Region of Southeast Asia. The cases progress in this way from the local and regional to the national and international, and all are concerned in one way or another with relationships between water, food, and energy systems: the widely discussed water-food-energy nexus.

Tangled Roots

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisnawati Suryanata ◽  
Kem Lowry
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Capital Mobility ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Large Role ◽  
Agricultural Lands ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Rural Gentrification ◽  
Political Economic

Many competing visions are imposed on rural Hawaii, visions that are shaped by history, culture, and political economic interests in this state. Efforts to improve food democracy and food production for local consumption must be viewed against this backdrop. Furthermore, they must be placed in the context of globalized agro-food systems as well as global capital mobility that has played a large role in the flow of investment to the state. This chapter presents an overview of the changing uses of agricultural and rural lands, and the different policy tools that have been developed by state and county officials in Hawai‘i. Through an analysis of Acts 183 and 233 on “important agricultural lands”, the chapter shows that protecting prime agricultural lands has become an end in itself rather than a means to the achievement of a vision for a new agricultural future for Hawaiʻi. It has had as little impact on the processes of rural gentrification as it has had on improving food security for the islands. The chapter provides a macro perspective to situate the case studies presented in the subsequent chapters.

scholarly journals Māori women leading local sustainable food systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-155
Author(s):  
Karyn Stein ◽  
Miranda Mirosa ◽  
Lynette Carter
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
The North ◽  
Kaupapa Māori

The article explores how Māori women in Aotearoa (New Zealand) are defining their own food system and the values of the women at the heart of their community food initiatives. Using a blend of participatory and kaupapa Māori (Māori principles) research methodologies, the study took place over the course of 3 years, involving four women or case studies who manage community food initiatives, with three located in the North Island and one in the South Island of New Zealand. The article discusses the benefits of community gardens and farms, noting how they are counteracting food poverty through promoting access to local food while bringing more attention to the essential role that Indigenous women play in addressing food security issues. The case studies exemplify how Māori women are leading the way within their own whānau (families) and communities, promoting local solutions to global food issues, solutions based on their own knowledge and Māori cultural values.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document