Abstract
Co-operative ways of working can be understood as people-centred approaches. This article considers how co-operative ways of working have the potential to support the scaling-out of sustainable and just food systems in the context of Wales through people-centred change. Drawing upon a series of interviews with stakeholders involved in the sustainable and the co-operative food sector within Wales and international case studies, opportunities and challenges facing the scaling-out of sustainable and just food systems are considered. Findings demonstrate the potential of co-operative and community-based approaches to sustainable production, processing, distribution, and trading of healthy food that is affordable, culturally appropriate, and based upon an ethic of justice and care for land, workers, and animals. Community supported agriculture, incubator farms, food hubs, and platform co-operatives are identified as key mechanisms for sustainable and just food systems. Capacity building through education, information, and training are further critical foundations for co-operative and people-centred ways of working. In order to accelerate sustainable and just food futures, community-based participation, networks for training, access to resources and land, and transformative forms of governance, including legislative change, are key. We conclude by highlighting implications for future research into policy transfer and food system transformation.
Highlights
This article investigates how co-operative ways of working, as people-centred approaches, can support the scaling-out of sustainable and just food systems
Our focus on co-operative ways of working as playing a potentially important role in people-centred food system change makes a contribution to the sustainable food systems literatures
Findings demonstrate a number of key challenges and opportunities to scaling-out sustainable and just food systems in the context of Wales
Summary
This article investigates how co-operative ways of working, as people-centred approaches, can support the scaling-out of sustainable and just food systems. Based on fieldwork conducted within the Welsh food sector and a set of international case studies, the article considers the opportunities and challenges of sustainable and just food system transformation within Wales, and the potential role of co-operative approaches. It makes a contribution to the sustainable food systems literatures as a case study that considers the linkages between co-operative ways of working, people-centred approaches, and sustainable and just food system transformation. Food systems currently have a major impact upon the water-food-energy nexus, recognised as central to sustainable futures [6]. Derived from sustainable food production that operates within ‘safe operating spaces’ “for environmental systems and processes that contribute to the stability and resilience of the Earth system” [2] Derived from sustainable food production that operates within ‘safe operating spaces’ “for environmental systems and processes that contribute to the stability and resilience of the Earth system” [2] (p. 461), the proposed ‘planetary health plate’ “largely consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils, includes a low to moderate amount of seafood and poultry, and includes no or a low quantity of red meat, processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables” [2] (p. 447)
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