Abstract
PurposeThis study aims to answer two research questions, namely, what kinds of mundane resistance practices emerge in the local food system and which spatial, material and social elements catalyse the resistance practices.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a post-humanist practice approach and focusses on exploring the agentic capacity of socio-material elements to generate resistance practices. The data were generated through a multi-method approach of interviews, field observations and Facebook discussions collected between 2014 and 2017.FindingsThe empirical context is the rejäl konsumtion local food network in Finland. The analysis presents two types of resisting practices – resisting facelessness and resisting carelessness – which are connected to spatial, material and social elements.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focusses on one local food system, highlighting the socio-material structuring of resistance in this specific cultural setting.Practical implicationsThe practical implications highlight that recognising the socio-material elements provides tools for better engagement of consumer actors with local food systems.Originality/valueThe study adds to the extant research by interweaving the consumer resistance literature and local food systems discussions with the neo-material approach. The findings present a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which consumer resistance is actualised in a non-recreational, mundane context of consumption. Consequently, the study offers new insights into the agentic socio-material actors structuring the local food system.
Highlights
Local food systems are increasingly transforming conventional ways of food distribution
The current study aims to fill this gap further and explores how the sociomaterial elements generate mundane consumer resistance practices in the context of a local food system
Contextualising the rejäl konsumtion local food system This section briefly outlines the contextual background of REKO based on the interview materials gathered for this study
Summary
Local food systems are increasingly transforming conventional ways of food distribution. In Finland, the first attempt to organise local food markets through regular direct trading between consumers and farmers emerged in 2013 when a local food system called REKO (the acronym comes from the native words “rejäl konsumtion” meaning “fair consumption”) was established. Finnish local farmers sold their produce irregularly in outdoor marketplaces or through occasional local food rings. Being initiated together with local consumers and farmers, REKO provided a joint effort to support local food production and. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
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