Social inclusion in an alternative food network: Values, practices and tensions

Abstract

The paper explores the challenges faced by a consumer food cooperative to combine social inclusion and embeddedness in its urban environment with the standards of food quality it targets. While the difficulty to make alternative food networks (AFN) socially accessible is well documented in the literature, little is known about the organizational practices to foster inclusion in AFNs. Based on over 100 participant observations of meetings held at the cooperative and food activities with members of community organizations, our research has produced understanding on how a participative process - through collective decisions, exchange of knowledge and commitment to workslots - could facilitate or restrain social inclusion. Results suggest that the promotion of the value of sociocultural equality in access to quality food for the largest number is hindered by differences of food, consumer and participation cultures between members and non-members of the cooperative. The value of sociocultural equality in access to quality food is pragmatically challenged by the practice of social inclusion regarding the food supply and the participation in voluntary work.