Cultivating Agroecological Networks during the Pandemic in Argentina: A Sociomaterial Analysis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has motivated a turn towards more agroecological food production and food sovereignty. This article aims to analyze how the agroecological actor network has emerged in and around the capital of Buenos Aires and the province of Santa Fe, in Argentina, during the pandemic. The research questions are: How has the agroecological actor network emerged during the pandemic in Argentina? In what ways are agroecological networks enacted through coupling and decoupling practices? The study is based on interviews with practitioners, and observations of online events. In our results, we show how the production of compost, exchange of seeds and experiences, governmental programs, and food fairs are coupled and assembled in the agroecological network. The agroecological network is decoupling from the conventional agroindustrial model with pesticides and chemical input, supermarkets, and the global food system. The conclusion is that the pandemic has worked as a crisis where the agroecological network has been expanded.