Local food production and local identity: interdependency of development tools and results

Abstract

Self-promotion and reinterpretation of local identity is becoming increasingly important in rural communities. Local identity building is achieved very differently by rural municipalities and regions. The paper analyses the role of local food production in local identity creation. It is based on two contemporary discussed phenomena of rural development: local cultural heritage and local food production, as a part of local cultural heritage. Using the example of three Hungarian rural micro-regions we analyse how a local community presents itself through local food production, and how local communities can be built by revitalizing a part of the local cultural heritage: a local food product. The paper is based on the literature about alternative food networks and on the role of cultural heritage in rural development The case-studies were conducted as a part of a larger research project on agricultural restructuring in the last two decades in Hungary. It is based on qualitative and anthropological methods: document analysis, semi-structured interviews, transect walking and participatory observation. The paper analyses the role of short food supply chains (SFSC) and local food culture in the three micro-regions and the process of local community and identity building. It analyses the differences of the SFSCs; our results suggests that local food products and relating local events can hardly be a base of the local image outside the region, but it can help to build and strengthen the local community and local identity. Keywords: local food, cultural heritage, rural community, local image, rural development