Alternative food networks and farmer livelihoods: A spatializing livelihoods perspective

Blumberg, Renata

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2017.10.007

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…In Lithuania, some largescale farmers responded by abandoning conventional markets and starting new AFNs. This had the impact of heightening competition with farmers who already marketed through AFNs (Blumberg 2018). Sociospatial positionality affects AFNs and farmer livelihoods in complex ways, in part because of crises caused by capitalist dynamics.…”

Section: The Political Ecology Of Food Systems In Eastern Europementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the sphere of consumption, AFNs may reinforce neoliberal subjectivities, and exclusionary processes (Bradley and Herrera 2016;Dupuis and Goodman 2005;Guthman 2008). In the realm of production, farmers may still have to participate in conventional supply chains to make ends meet (Ilbery and Maye 2005), and recent research shows that competition may be eroding profits in AFNs (Blumberg 2018;Galt 2013a). In addition, research examining the failure of farmers' markets in the US has revealed how difficult it is to sustain AFNs (Stephenson et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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For food space: theorizing alternative food networks beyond alterity

Blumberg

Leitner

Cadieux

2020

Journal of Political Ecology

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In response to calls by scholars to deepen theoretical engagement in research on Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), in this article we critically discuss and assess major theoretical approaches deployed in the study of AFNs. After highlighting the strengths and limitations of each theoretical approach, we provide an alternative framework – which we refer to as the Geographical Political Ecology of Food Systems – that integrates the contributions that have emerged in the study of the alternative geographies of food with an understanding of capitalist processes in the food system. We do this by bringing together literature on the political ecology of food systems and multiple spatialities, including Doreen Massey's understanding of space as a heterogeneous multiplicity and Eric Sheppard's conceptualization of sociospatial positionality. We utilize research on agrarian change and AFNs in Eastern Europe to elaborate this approach. We argue that this new perspective helps navigate tensions in AFN scholarship, and provides new avenues for research and action. We focus particularly on the ability of AFNs to provide a sustainable livelihood for participating farmers, thus far a neglected topic in AFN research in Europe.Keywords: Alternative Food Networks, Eastern Europe, spatialities, positionality, livelihoods

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Section: The Political Ecology Of Food Systems In Eastern Europementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

For food space: theorizing alternative food networks beyond alterity

Blumberg

Leitner

Cadieux

2020

Journal of Political Ecology

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“…Firstly, it can mean that farming is economically necessary for the survival of the household. Rural families with low monetary income can rely on their farm to ensure food security of the household, while selling the agricultural surplus to the state or through alternative food markets could guarantee an additional income (Blumberg ). Since farming is not economically necessary for the better‐off households (Žakevičiūtė ), it could be assumed that they are maintaining agricultural practices for completely different reasons.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural Livelihood Diversification: A Solution for Poverty in the Post‐Soviet Rural Baltic States?

Žakevičiūtė

2019

Sociologia Ruralis

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This article analyses rural livelihood diversification through a longitudinal follow‐up survey, that targets former collective farm workers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It argues, that between 1995 and 2010 the former collective farm workers employed three distinct livelihood diversification strategies in order to create their living. A wage‐based livelihood diversification strategy, which does not include any agricultural practices, was more common among the better‐off households. A farm‐based livelihood diversification strategy, which does not rely on salaries, was more often employed by the poor. A mixed strategy, that combines both wage income and farm activities, was used by both better‐off (above the poverty line) and poor households (below the poverty line). The paper also finds that livelihood diversification and poverty among the researched households have country specific patterns, which coincide with the general rural development in Baltic states.

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“…The discourse on alternative practices pushes human geography to expand in subfields like economic and cultural geography, and geographies of food in particular (for example [17,18]). Therein, they appear as alternative economies [19], often termed 'diverse economies or livelihoods' [1], or as alternative food practices [3,10] or networks [5,6,20].…”

Section: Current Alternative Practice Discoursesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the field of economic geography, alternative practices are studied under the aspect of ''non-capitalist economic forms such as cooperatives, informal livelihood strategies, or unpaid labor" [1]. The discourse on alternative practices mainly features contributions from the Anglo-American and European contexts, but practices are context-specific and the discourse requires the inclusion of perspectives from other cultural spheres [2][3][4][5][6][7]. A significant body of academic literature addresses alternative food networks as a subcategory of alternative practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Notions of Alternative Practices: Organic Food Movements in Bangkok, Thailand and Chennai, India

Bopp

2020

Sustainability

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I argue that the common discourses on alternative practices often entail a Western perspective and are sometimes treated as new paths of thinking. This also applies to alternative food practices such as organic farming. Based on empirical research on organic food movements in Bangkok and Chennai, I suggest two examples of alternative practices that have become naturally incorporated in daily routines. Through qualitative expert interviews, long-term observation, and action research, the study reveals that in these movements, urbanites advocate for the right to healthy foods and solidarity with rural farmers, and that farmers employ local sustainable farming methods, including careful resource management and agricultural diversity. Stakeholder engagement is long-term and embraces a spiritual-cultural tone of alternativeness. Based on my findings from my case studies, I propose the following two recommendations. First, the alternative practice discourse needs to open up to the existing plurality of perspectives—openness may prevent the alternative practice discourse from overlooking notable sources of inspiration from societies that inherently perform a diversity of sustainable agricultural practices. Second, continuity, local sustainability notions, and mindfulness need to be included as criteria in the debate. The incorporation of these three themes represented by my two case studies may enrich the discourse through a more local, Global South perspective on alternativeness, and advance its conceptualization.

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Alternative food networks and farmer livelihoods: A spatializing livelihoods perspective

Cited by 27 publications

References 73 publications

For food space: theorizing alternative food networks beyond alterity

For food space: theorizing alternative food networks beyond alterity

Rural Livelihood Diversification: A Solution for Poverty in the Post‐Soviet Rural Baltic States?

Local Notions of Alternative Practices: Organic Food Movements in Bangkok, Thailand and Chennai, India

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