Beyond rural idyll? Social imaginaries, motivations and relations in Polish alternative food networks

Abstract

The concept of alternative food networks (AFNs) has evolved in the academic literature, from early optimistic studies on agricultural relocalization rooted in rural sociology to multidimensional analyses and the subsequent intellectual diversification of such initiatives and their perception. Despite significant limitations, the normative nature of this model implies that by building alternatives for agri-business, food production may be again reattached to territory, resulting in support for endogenous programs of rural development, better use of consumers and producers’ social/political potential, and promotion of sustainable development. These promises are particularly important in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), such as Poland. Affected by political transformation, balancing between market and folk populism, constantly in pursuit of their lost identities, they may be a laboratory of change initiated by alternative models of production and consumption. This article presents analyses of three areas crucial for AFNs: social imaginaries, motivations and relations, revealing the unique nature of Polish AFNs included in the study. Immersed in the past, they seek to recreate a specific folk version of rural idyll and ensure individual safety of consumers and producers. It remains to be seen to what extent these findings are a specific Polish feature of Polish AFNs, an immanent quality of AFNs in CEE or a regular element inscribed in the general AFN model. • The Polish Alternative Food Networks seek to recreate a folk version of idyll. • Actors Involved in AFNs are focused on ensuring the individual safety. • Networks have very simplified construction. • Public sector put the pressure on developing AFNs in Central and Eastern European Countries.