International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food最新文献

{"title":"Constructing a food retail environment that encourages healthy diets in cities: the contribution of local-level policy makers and civil society","authors":"D. Mattioni","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.81","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.81","url":null,"abstract":"Faced with growing rates of malnutrition, food environments play a key role in shaping eating habits and in helping transition towards healthy diets. Much of the attention on food environment policies has been directed at the national level. Less attention has been devoted to what happens at local level, at the measures being taken by local government policy makers and by other local-level actors to encourage healthier diets, especially in cities. The objective of this article is thus to give an overview of the contribution “from below” to the construction of healthier food environments, that is, to shed light on the specific contribution of local-level policies and initiatives in making nutritious food more available, affordable, and desirable and conversely in making unhealthy foods, such as fast foods and ultra-processed foods, less so. In doing so, it focuses on the retail food environment (RFE) as a specific contribution of cities. A critical review of evaluated local-level policies sheds light on the nature and effectiveness of different types of interventions and on the complementary actions of local government and civil society, where the latter contributes to communicating a different way of “knowing” food in line with a greater appreciation of healthier foods, and to advocating for an integration of sustainability aspects in the transition towards healthy diets. The article reflects upon areas where further efforts and adjustments are needed to make interventions more effective, and emphasizes the need to continue supporting local-level civil society RFE actions, and ensure coordination and coherence between different players and between different administrative levels.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122003216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transitions of Legume-based Agrifood Systems - Stakeholders' view from Hungary","authors":"B. Balázs, E. Kelemen, Diána Szakál","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.89","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.89","url":null,"abstract":"The pressing need for the radical transformation towards more sustainable agricultural and food systems, which only recently gained substantially more acknowledgement, staged several underutilised crops in new roles. Legumes have become the primary focus of research and analytical attention first in agroecology, and lately in international policy communities and the social sciences. With their effortless talent to fix nitrogen into the soil, substitute animal protein, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, legumes are now recognised as forgotten stars, that could help both agriculture and the food industry become more ecological. However, legume production and consumption, albeit multiple advantages, remain still marginal in Europe for several reasons. This article adopts an interpretative policy framework to address the legume paradox, that is our legume-dependent agri-food systems relying on imports and simultaneously maintaining deficient production and consumption of legumes. We reviewed the state of the art of legume-based food systems in Hungary by analysing conceptual frameworks and data from exploratory mixed-method research. In a case study research, we analysed the root causes of this state-of-the-art through mapping the understanding of challenges and potentialities of legume value chains in Hungary by critical stakeholders. Our primary research question is what is at play behind and how Hungarian stakeholders make meaning of this paradox. We also explore how the current trends could still open pathways for more legumes in production and consumption. Drawing on insights from the literature and stakeholder interviews in Hungary, we show an extremely locked-in agri-food system. Our results indicate that especially small scale producers face difficulties to tackle with shallow yield stability of legumes. Their struggle is further aggravated by the dumping of cheap import of plant-based protein food and feed and inorganic nitrogen fertilisers, virtually absent small-scale processing, consumers' unawareness of legumes' benefits and preoccupation with their gut discomfort and food services' unwillingness to experiment with tasty plant-based protein food. We suggest several future research topics and pathways to promote more sustainable legume-based food systems. In conclusion, we argue that any transition towards legume-based food and feed systems would initially require the mutual engagement of multiple stakeholders in the value chains, strong policy support orchestrated by public institutions.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127966074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Making Farm-to-Fork Front-of-the-Pack: Labelling a Sustainable European Diet","authors":"A. Narciso, M. Fonte","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.450","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.450","url":null,"abstract":"European Union (EU) policies have been evolving beyond the protection of consumers through food safety protocols to the promotion of healthy and sustainable diets. The European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy—the most recent step in this evolution—addresses challenges facing European agriculture and proposes measures for creating a more resilient as well as sustainable food system, which includes a plan for product labelling. The effort to improve information conveyed to consumers through product labelling is a long-standing and ongoing phenomenon, and different front-of-pack voluntary labels presently co-exist across EU Member States. One objective of the Farm to Fork Strategy is to harmonize them; a second objective, no less important, is to add ‘sustainability’ as an additional quality to be certified through labels. Yet, adopting some of the current models of voluntary front-of-pack labels—in order to better promote both dietary health and sustainability—might conflict with already-established measures implemented by the Common Agricultural Policies, such as Geographical Indication protection for agri-food products. Furthermore, influencing consumers’ behaviour through labelling should not be regarded as equivalent to ‘empowering’ consumers in terms of nutrition and sustainable choices. Labelling needs to be complemented by higher levels of policy interventions—incentives/disincentives or even policies that limit or restrict choices—in order to rebalance power in the food supply chain and to induce a change in the complex social practices of food consumption. This paper examines the Farm to Fork Strategy through an analysis of EU policy documents, existing literature, and the discussion of a case study—with particular attention paid to the role of labels in promoting healthy and sustainable diets as well as the possibility of new sustainability criteria for products certified with Geographic Indications.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"482 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123057248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Livestock Industry Practices that Impact Sustainable Diets in the United States","authors":"D. Rose, Carina Vance, M. López","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.87","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.87","url":null,"abstract":"Corporate attempts to shape government policies so they are favorable to the firm is a widespread occurrence in the tobacco, alcohol, and food industries. Analysis of such corporate political activity has identified various strategies, practices, and mechanisms used by these industries. In this paper, we adapt an established framework to demonstrate the practices of the livestock industry in influencing sustainable diet policies in the U.S. We describe four case studies in which: (1) environmental sustainability was excluded from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; (2) meat-friendly dietary recommendations were developed with no consideration of environmental impacts; (3) a professional nutrition society position paper was critiqued for recommending a reduction in ruminant animal consumption; and (4) a webinar was disseminated to nutrition professionals recommending beef as a part of a sustainable diet. In the first two cases the livestock industry rejected the importance of environmental considerations for dietary recommendations and in the second two it argued that livestock is an integral part of a sustainable diet, coopting the definition of sustainable diets. An information and messaging strategy was key to all of these cases. This included stressing the economic importance of the livestock industry, framing the debate, and shaping the evidence base on diet and the environment. The livestock industry also used financial incentives and policy substitution to accomplish their goals. Understanding and documenting such behaviors is a key first step in developing an approach to limit corporate influence on sustainable diet policies.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"156 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131916659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inside the Ensete Garden, Beyond the Plantation: Perennial Polycultures for Radically Sustainable Food Systems","authors":"V. Peveri","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.85","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.85","url":null,"abstract":"Against a backdrop of increasingly simplified ecologies—in the form of plantation and monocultural thinking—this article elaborates a call to radical change in sustainable food systems as being fostered by multispecies assemblages and rooted in a less anthropocentric vision of farming practices and the natural environment. Multiplicity in practice (and as a philosophical guiding principle in the quest for sustainable food systems) is analyzed through the lens of edible perennials and the functional role they play in specific integrated farming systems. The analysis starts from the case study of a perennial root tuber crop in Southwestern Ethiopia, and further expands into the related ramifications of home gardening, polycultural farming, multistoried landscapes, and integrated agriculture. This multilayered story then branches out from the Ethiopian home garden to touch upon the broader category of improved agroforestry practices, which are based on solid and ecologically sound perennial components. It is argued that multifunctional mosaics hold untapped potential to address the call for sustainable food systems in times of profound socio-natural crisis. A bold paradigm shift sustains this vision—from plantations back to forest-like intricacies.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117230945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Hybridization of Food Spaces: Changing Spatial Logics in Urban Food Systems and Prospects for Sustainable Diets","authors":"K. Fodor","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.83","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.83","url":null,"abstract":"On the consumption end of the food supply chain, cities have leverage to spatially facilitate sustainable food system transformations and accommodate sustainable diets. However, developing the appropriate architecture implied in such a feat, i.e., creating the adequate spatial conditions for sustainable urban food practices, is first predicated on understanding the existing spatial logics operating at the core of contemporary urban food practices and food spaces. This paper aims to contribute to this understanding, by identifying and conceptualising some of these changing spatial logics. Through a series of observations across four domains - cyberspace, retail spaces, the domestic realm and compound food spaces – the study finds that several 21st-century constructs, such as online food purchasing, the connected kitchen or the diversified supermarket, exhibit entirely novel spatial logics in organising urban food practices and the physical reality around them. As a key finding of the analyses, this paper introduces the term ‘hybridization of food spaces’, linking two overarching patterns identified: how 21st-century urban food space typologies increasingly show signs of functional diversification in their physical layouts, as well as ways of merging with virtual platforms. Finally, the paper considers the design and strategic potential that this hybridization presents. How blurring the boundaries between traditionally conceived spatial/functional domains, as well as shortening urban food supply chains may contribute to the physical facilitation of sustainable urban practices around food, and ultimately, sustainable diets.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125999330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Sustainable Diet Question: Reasserting societal dynamics into the debate about a Good Diet","authors":"T. Lang","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.88","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.88","url":null,"abstract":"This paper locates the notion of Sustainable Diet as the latest iteration in the long-term policy question: What is a ‘Good Diet’? It reviews why there is tension over broadening the notion of a Good Diet to include the environment. It contrasts simple and complex approaches to sustainability for food systems and diet in particular. It proposes a multi-criteria approach to dietary analysis and to policy guidelines. The experience of a number of countries are summarised and analysed for sources of resistance and difficulty. It proposes that the socio-cultural dimension of Sustainable Diet requires further analysis but already offers promising avenues for change.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127751814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable Food Systems Sustainable Diets","authors":"C. Sage, M. G. Quieti, M. Fonte","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.449","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.449","url":null,"abstract":"This Special Issue seeks to contribute to the debate around less resource-intensive sustainable diets demonstrating just how critical a social science perspective is in problematising and enriching the terms of that debate. There is general consensus that the global dietary transition towards westernized diets with high intakes of meat, refined fats, sugar and salt are unhealthy for people and the planet.  Healthier and more sustainable diets are widely recognised as necessary to mitigate climate change, reduce the pressure on natural resources including aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and lower the global burden of disease. This editorial introduction presents eight articles selected from papers presented at the Conference ‘Sustainable Food Systems Sustainable Diets’ held in October 2019 at The American University of Rome. Representing a diverse range of social science perspectives, the articles demonstrate the complexity in developing a shared understanding of what constitutes healthy and sustainable diets and which are likely to be inherently inter-connected with regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems. To different degrees the articles also reflect upon policy experiences to date and identify obstacles to the introduction of measures that would facilitate changes in consumption practices. Demonstrating the vital role of critical social analysis in deepening our understanding of the institutional, social, and cultural dimensions of food systems, this Special Issue will fill an important gap in the literature around sustainable diets.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"1048 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123145994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surplus food redistribution and healthy, sustainable diets: Exploring the contradictions of charitable food provisioning","authors":"T. Kenny, C. Sage","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.82","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V27I1.82","url":null,"abstract":"A substantial body of literature points to the necessity of a ‘Great Food Transformation’ requiring an urgent shift towards sustainable food systems across multiple levels. A key part of this transition is the need to reduce food waste and food loss by 50 percent and where charitable surplus food redistribution is regarded as making an important contribution to this target.  Surplus driven charitable food provisioning is now part of the food environment in many countries and is influencing the diets of a significant number of people. Its proponents argue that such work contributes to a more sustainable food system by reducing food waste and food insecurity. However, few studies have examined the factors influencing the governance of food within the charitable food system.  This paper seeks to fill this gap in the literature through an examination of recent developments in charitable food provisioning in the Republic of Ireland.  Using Cork city as a case study we explore Ireland’s charitable food system by examining the motivations, ideas, and practices of key organisations. The paper highlights the growing role of surplus-driven charitable food systems and argues that the redistribution of surplus products for the purpose of reducing food waste and improving economic efficiency requires re-evaluation within a wider appreciation of sustainable diets, and, ultimately, with regard to strengthening the right to food for all.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127707464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“If I need to put more armor on, I can’t carry more guns”:: the collective action problem of breeding for productivity in the California strawberry industry","authors":"J. Guthman, Erica Zurawski","doi":"10.48416/IJSAF.V26I1.59","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48416/IJSAF.V26I1.59","url":null,"abstract":"Facing the appearance of novel soil-borne plant diseases as well as increasing restrictions of the chemical fumigants that have long been used to treat them, developing disease resistant cultivars is one strategy among several that the California strawberry industry is supporting. Yet, under the assumption that growers most desire high yielding varieties, university strawberry breeders continue to emphasize productivity, despite knowing the difficulty of breeding for many different qualities. They make this assumption even as the industry’s per acre productivity reached an all-time high in 2018 while prices continued to slip, a dynamic predicted by Willard Cochrane’s famous technology treadmill. This paper explores if and why growers want yield over disease resistant varieties to assess if there are ways to slow or stop the treadmill. Based on twenty in-depth interviews with strawberry growers, we found that growers want yield to remain individually competitive even as they largely recognize that prioritizing yield over other qualities can be self-defeating for the industry. We additionally found that this desire is being augmented by buyer-grower contractual relationships, conditions of land access and rising land values, and practices of labor remuneration not heretofore theorized as playing into the treadmill. Given that those structural forces are not easily addressed, we also consider the role that university scientists play in constructing this desire for yield. On this question we draw on work in science and technology studies as it relates to university agricultural science to suggest that farmers’ needs and desires are a reflection of what university research and extension can offer and conclude that university breeders are best positioned to level the playing field by ceasing to breed for productivity.","PeriodicalId":302742,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food","volume":"91 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126971570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}