Abstract
It has repeatedly been claimed that persistent traditional agriculture and marketing in countries of the Global South, such as India, are a fruitful basis for the foundation of alternative food networks (AFNs). However, literature on AFNs in the Global South is scarce and it thus remains uncertain how the appropriation of traditional agri-food practices plays out. We conducted semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of 14 AFNs in Bengaluru, India, in order to explore their aims and approaches. We found that there is a high variety of different AFNs in the city. One salient discourse among the representatives was that the agri-food system can be improved by a revitalization of tradition. In this paper, we discuss the implications of this conviction on representatives of AFNs. Traditionalism, we argue, does rather represent a deflection from achieving the stated goals of the AFN, namely the improvement of the livelihood of Indian farmers.
Highlights
While alternative food networks (AFNs) in the Global North have been discussed broadly in scientific publications, AFNs in the Global South including India have been studied only rarely [1]
This was supplemented with a list provided by the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), which is based in Bengaluru
Most of the AFNs considered in this study had direct contact with farmers and helped them to convert to alternative agriculture, which often meant organic agriculture
Summary
While alternative food networks (AFNs) in the Global North have been discussed broadly in scientific publications, AFNs in the Global South including India have been studied only rarely [1]. Goodman and Goodman [6] define AFNs as networks that claim to tie “the production and consumption of food [ . ] together spatially, economically, and socially” (p.1) These networks try to achieve this end by opening new spaces in the food economy, which draw on alternative production principles such as organic, Fairtrade, or local production. In what sense is your AFN organic or do you use other certification? Beyond the production of organic food: What other improvements does your project bring to society?.
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