Abstract
The conventional dominant global agri-food system is a main driver in the Anthropocene: food production entails profound global environmental changes from greenhouse gas emissions to biodiversity loss, and shifting diets further impact planetary and human health. Innovative approaches are needed to shift towards more sustainable, equitable and healthy agri-food systems. Building on the increasing recognition of the relevance of traditional agroecological knowledge (TAeK) in sustainable food systems, this paper aims to describe innovative agri-food initiatives and explore how the use and valorization of TAeK may transform conventional agri-food systems. It employs a case-study approach in Spain, where we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 representatives of alternative agri-food initiatives. We found that, to promote sustainable agri-food systems, TAeK has to span from farm-to-fork. Innovative agroecological practices and knowledge help to safeguard biocultural diversity, while gastronomic knowledge among consumers on how to process and prepare local varieties and species is crucial for the implementation of shorter value chains. We discuss how TAeK enhances the success of conventional systems of innovation, challenging dominant epistemological frameworks. By scaling deep (changing values), scaling out (dissemination, reproduction) and scaling up (changing institutions), the agri-food initiatives may act on leverage points to enable broader transformation of the Spanish agri-food system.
Highlights
The current intensive agri-food system model dominated by agri-businesses is one of the main drivers of the Anthropocene- the age in which humans have become the dominant force shaping the planet [1,2]
The initial premise of the study was to look at traditional ecological knowledge (TEK); we found that traditional agroecological knowledge (TAeK) emerged as an important aspect of TEK from production through to consumption
By identifying and describing a set of innovative agri-food initiatives in Spain, this paper has discussed the important role that TAeK plays in enabling potential transformations towards more sustainable agri-food systems
Summary
The current intensive agri-food system model dominated by agri-businesses is one of the main drivers of the Anthropocene- the age in which humans have become the dominant force shaping the planet [1,2]. Dietary habits and consumption patterns are increasingly shifting towards a diet high in animal based products and low in plants, putting further pressure on the planet, as the former are generally less calorie-efficient, more resource intensive and emit more greenhouse gases [4,8,10] Besides these environmental challenges, agri-food systems face societal challenges such as inequality and marginalization [6,11]. Cooking habits and skills—especially among younger women—are decreasing [31] and slow cooking techniques have been replaced by the purchase of ready-made dishes or simpler recipes [48] This nutrition transition brings with it obesity and health risks [49,50,51,52,53,54] that manifest themselves in the form of increased food-related chronic diseases, decreased life expectancy and increasing health costs [43,53,54]. The Spanish saying ‘flipping the tortilla’ refers to a radical change, usually from something negative to something positive
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