Abstract
Organic and low-input food systems are emerging worldwide in answer to the sustainability crisis of the conventional agri-food sector. “Alternative” systems are based on local, decentralized approaches to production and processing, regarding quality and health, and short supply-chains for products with strong local identities. Diversity is deeply embedded in these food systems, from the agrobiodiversity grown in farmers’ fields, which improves resilience and adaptation, to diverse approaches, contexts and actors in food manufacturing and marketing. Diversity thus becomes a cross-sectoral issue which acknowledges consumers’ demand for healthy products. In the framework of the European project “CERERE, CEreal REnaissance in Rural Europe: embedding diversity in organic and low-input food systems”, the paper aims at reviewing recent research on alternative and sustainable food systems by adopting an innovative and participatory multi-actor approach; this has involved ten practitioners and twenty-two researchers from across Europe and a variety of technical backgrounds in the paper and analysis stages. The participatory approach is the main innovation and distinctive feature of this literature review. Partners selected indeed what they perceived as most relevant in order to facilitate a transition towards more sustainable and diversity based cereal systems and food chains. This includes issues related to alternative food networks, formal and informal institutional settings, grass root initiatives, consumer involvement and, finally, knowledge exchange and sustainability. The review provides an overview of recent research that is relevant to CERERE partners as well as to anyone interested in alternative and sustainable food systems. The main objective of this paper was indeed to present a narrative of studies, which can form the foundation for future applied research to promote alternative methods of cereal production in Europe.
Highlights
Organic and other low-input food systems in Europe are emerging as an innovative answer to the crisis of conventional agri-food value chains, which no longer seem to best serve the public interest because of increased price volatility and negative environmental impacts [1]
Participatory, multi-stakeholder approaches to research and innovation have become more important in this context, inviting farmers, farm advisers, value chain actors and scientists to get involved in a process of active knowledge construction, rather than in a passive technology transfer [8,13,14,15], through the search for locally relevant solutions based on a more dynamic use of crop diversity [16,17,18,19,20,21,22]
CERERE is a three-year thematic network project running from 2016 to 2019. It involves a consortium of 13 partners that forms a balance between participants with a scientific and technological outlook, practitioners including all actors of cereal food systems interested in agrobiodiversity, organisations engaged in extension, advisory services, training and communication activities as well as participants who have a focus on rural studies and participatory approaches
Summary
Organic and other low-input food systems in Europe are emerging as an innovative answer to the crisis of conventional agri-food value chains, which no longer seem to best serve the public interest because of increased price volatility and negative environmental impacts [1]. Using a supply-chain perspective, farmers seek crops and varieties which are fine-tuned to the environment in which they are grown, but which respond to the preferences of other stakeholders in their local socio-economic networks [9,10,11,12]. These result in greater attention paid to certain traits, such as ease of processing with artisanal methods, improved taste, cooking and nutritional qualities, and connection to traditional cultures and local identities. Participatory, multi-stakeholder approaches to research and innovation have become more important in this context, inviting farmers, farm advisers, value chain actors and scientists to get involved in a process of active knowledge construction, rather than in a passive technology transfer [8,13,14,15], through the search for locally relevant solutions based on a more dynamic use of crop diversity [16,17,18,19,20,21,22]
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