Mission accomplished? How food entrepreneurship discursively constructs futures for sustainable food

Abstract

Several images of the future of food emerge as a response to the need to make the food system more sustainable. Yet so far, the discursive process through which these images manifest is mostly studied from a policy perspective. This paper explores how food entrepreneurship discursively constructs futures for food. A critical discourse analysis was conducted of 102 websites of food entrepreneurs in the Dutch province of Flevoland. The analysis shows entrepreneurship constructs two complementary futures: closed and open futures. Whereas closed futures convey a sense of accomplishment in terms of the sustainability transformation of the food system, open futures display a future for sustainable food that is evolving and incremental. Together, these futures form a continuum with closed futures on the one side that describe specific missions that are attainable, and open futures on the other side to create new or different missions over time. In the discussion, it is argued these mutually constitutive futures contrast the mutually exclusive futures as often dominate the contested debate about food. Furthermore, it argues complementary futures fit the context of food entrepreneurship in Flevoland, because it shows the importance of collaboration within and between firms in working towards more sustainable food systems.