Academic literature on the topic 'AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)'
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Journal articles on the topic "AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)"
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Blumberg, Renata, Helga Leitner, and Kirsten Valentine Cadieux. "For food space: theorizing alternative food networks beyond alterity." Journal of Political Ecology 27, no. 1 (January 21, 2020): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.2458/v27i1.23026.
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<p>In response to calls by scholars to deepen theoretical engagement in research on Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), in this article we critically discuss and assess major theoretical approaches deployed in the study of AFNs. After highlighting the strengths and limitations of each theoretical approach, we provide an alternative framework – which we refer to as the Geographical Political Ecology of Food Systems – that integrates the contributions that have emerged in the study of the alternative geographies of food with an understanding of capitalist processes in the food system. We do this by bringing together literature on the political ecology of food systems and multiple spatialities, including Doreen Massey's understanding of space as a heterogeneous multiplicity and Eric Sheppard's conceptualization of sociospatial positionality. We utilize research on agrarian change and AFNs in Eastern Europe to elaborate this approach. We argue that this new perspective helps navigate tensions in AFN scholarship, and provides new avenues for research and action. We focus particularly on the ability of AFNs to provide a sustainable livelihood for participating farmers, thus far a neglected topic in AFN research in Europe.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Alternative Food Networks, Eastern Europe, spatialities, positionality, livelihoods</p>
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Bruce, Analena B., and Rebecca L. Som Castellano. "Labor and alternative food networks: challenges for farmers and consumers." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 32, no. 5 (October 21, 2016): 403–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s174217051600034x.
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AbstractAlthough alternative food networks (AFNs) have made strides in modeling socially just and environmentally sound agrifood system practices, the next step is to make these innovations available to more people, or to increase participation in AFNs. However, there are several barriers to expanding the impact of AFNs. The labor intensity of producing and consuming foods in AFNs is sometimes overlooked but poses a significant challenge to alternative agrifood systems’ long-term viability. This paper brings together two independently conducted empirical research studies, one focused on sustainable food production and one focused on food provisioning in the sphere of consumption. Farmers engaged in small-scale alternative food production are investing significantly more time in maintaining the health of their soils by practicing crop rotation, growing a greater diversity of crops and building organic matter with cover crops and compost. Because much of this work is unpaid, the added labor requirements pose an obstacle to the financial viability and social sustainability of alternative production methods. On the consumption side, the labor intensity of food provisioning for women engaged in AFNs, combined with other socio-demographic factors, at times, constrains AFN participation. By identifying the ways in which labor may limit the ability of AFNs to expand to a larger portion of the population, this paper helps shed light on ways of increasing the environmental, social and health benefits of AFNs.
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Michel-Villarreal, Rosario, Martin Hingley, Maurizio Canavari, and Ilenia Bregoli. "Sustainability in Alternative Food Networks: A Systematic Literature Review." Sustainability 11, no. 3 (February 7, 2019): 859. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11030859.
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In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to individuals’ organizing themselves and managing food systems in an ‘alternative’ and more sustainable way. Such emerging food initiatives are most commonly known as ‘Alternative Food Networks’ (AFNs). However, there is an ongoing debate concerning the extent to which AFNs facilitate social, economic and environmental change. There are criticisms of the overall sustainability promise of AFNs related to sufficiency of impact, possible counter effects and the relevance of impacts. Because empirical studies often only focus on specific sustainability issues or AFNs, it has been difficult to develop more robust theories about the relations between diverse AFNs arrangements and sustainability. Thus, the aim of this paper is to contribute towards reducing this knowledge gap through a systematic literature review on AFNs in relation to sustainability. We summarize main methodological approaches, the types of AFNs studied and sustainability dimensions addressed in literature to date. Findings serve as reference to propose opportunities for future research regarding sustainability in AFNs.
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Corsi, Stefano, and Chiara Mazzocchi. "Alternative Food Networks (AFNs): Determinants for consumer and farmer participation in Lombardy, Italy." Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) 65, No. 6 (June 18, 2019): 259–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.17221/230/2018-agricecon.
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Scaling up supply chains in the interest of cost-effectiveness has led to an increasing disconnection between producers and consumers in today’s globalised food system. This paper assesses the agricultural and territorial drivers that influence the development of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), where consumers and producers act together, by implementing an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression. The analysis was carried out at a municipal scale in Lombardy, in northern Italy. The territorial characteristics of the local areas were less important in explaining the level of consumer and producer participation in the alternative food networks, rather than the specific factors related to the agricultural sector.
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Goszczyński, Wojciech, Ruta Śpiewak, Aleksandra Bilewicz, and Michał Wróblewski. "Between Imitation and Embeddedness: Three Types of Polish Alternative Food Networks." Sustainability 11, no. 24 (December 10, 2019): 7059. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11247059.
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The purpose of this article is to present the specific character of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) in Poland as one of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We refer to the issue increasingly debated in the social sciences, that is, how to translate academic models embedded in specific social contexts to other contexts, as we trace the process of adapting ideas and patterns of AFNs developed in the West to the semi-peripheral context of CEE countries. Drawing on the theory of social practices, we divide the analysis into three essential areas: The ideas of the network, its materiality, and the activities within the network. We have done secondary analysis of the research material, including seven case studies the authors worked on in the past decade. We distinguish three network models—imitated, embedded and mixed—which allow us to establish a specific post-transformational AFN growth theory. Particular attention should be paid to the type of embedded networks, as they highlight the possibility of local and original forms of AFNs. Mixed networks show that ideas imported from abroad need to be considered in juxtaposition and connection with local circumstances.
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Mastronardi, Luigi, Luca Romagnoli, Giampiero Mazzocchi, Vincenzo Giaccio, and Davide Marino. "Understanding consumer’s motivations and behaviour in alternative food networks." British Food Journal 121, no. 9 (September 2, 2019): 2102–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bfj-01-2019-0032.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships in alternative food networks (AFNs) between the purchase of food, the motivations of consumers and their socio-demographic profiles. Design/methodology/approach The study includes a total sample of 1,200 individual questionnaires, administered to the customers of 34 AFNs in different urban areas. The methodology employed is multilevel regression analysis, which is useful for dealing with data with a nested structure. Findings The results allowed us to depict some findings: the most important motivations in purchasing decisions are the perceived quality as well as comfort with the location of the markets, shopping experience, variety of offered products and delivery methods. Other interesting results relate to the presence of children in the families and the role of women in the choice of quality food. Practical implications The observations could represent a basis for thinking about how to improve consumers’ behaviour and, at the same time, try to remove the obstacles to a greater recognition of the importance of AFNs by consumers. Originality/value The paper contributes to the debate on food policies. Indeed, the integration of the results into food policies could help to intercept the consumers’ trends and promote a transition of the food system towards a path of sustainability, in which the AFNs are the organisational expression of a change that concerns a wide geography and a large number of social and economic actors.
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HAVADI-NAGY, Kinga Xénia. "Alternative Food Networks in Romania – Effective Instrument for Rural Development?" Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning SI, no. 8 (April 20, 2021): 15–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.24193/jsspsi.2021.8.03.
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"Recent public policies in the European Union foster a new multifunctional agricultural model, which, besides the food production function of farms, address the ecological, cultural, and social services they deliver, so that agriculture may contribute to an overall rural development. These benefits are produced mainly by small-scale farmers, which are less intensive and focusing on diversification. Alternative food networks (AFN) are the result of an amalgam of socio-cultural and economic phenomena, one main aim of these initiatives being the support of smallholders. This study reflects upon the chances and challenges of AFNs in the Romanian context, based on the existing initiatives emerging under the current socio-political and economic circumstances. The objective of the survey is to reveal the growth possibilities of AFNs and their potential contribution to the appreciation of small-scale agriculture and a sustainable, liveable rural area. The survey relies on data from previous research, the up-to-date websites and social network platforms of the investigated initiatives, informal discussions with AFN stakeholders, and the observations conducted by the author as a consumer of AFNs based in Cluj-Napoca. For the applied policies and policy recommendations, we consulted the main national policy documents and rural development strategies. We can conclude that Romania holds significant resources for the implementation of alternative food networks due to numerous favourable circumstances. However, to become an efficient tool of rural development, we see a need of improvement in accessibility, institutional and policy support, as well as in the education of producers and consumers in the spirit of sustainable consumption. "
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Pasquier Merino, Ayari Genevieve, Gerardo Torres Salcido, David Sébastien Monachon, and Jessica Geraldine Villatoro Hernández. "Alternative Food Networks, Social Capital, and Public Policy in Mexico City." Sustainability 14, no. 23 (December 6, 2022): 16278. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su142316278.
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Social initiatives that seek to promote socially fairer and environmentally more sustainable food production and distribution schemes have multiplied in the last two decades. Several studies have analysed their impacts and showed high contextual variability, making visible some of their contradictions. This research is interested in Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) as spaces of political mobilisation that aim to modify the predominant food systems. The analysis focuses on the role played by social capital in the capacities and strategies of AFNs to influence the design of public policies. The research was carried out in Mexico City as part of a wither participatory action research project. It is based on participant observation and discussion groups with representatives of citizen collectives involved in agroecological food distribution. The results show that the forms of social and cultural capital are key factors in understanding the interest and capacities of AFNs to strengthen collective action. The study also identifies the importance of the initiatives’ managers as facilitators of interactions between AFNs and other entities, such as universities and civil society organisations, which can ease the influence of social initiatives in the design of public programmes.
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Escobar-López, Sttefanie Yenitza, Angélica Espinoza-Ortega, Carmen Lozano-Cabedo, Encarnación Aguilar-Criado, and Santiago Amaya-Corchuelo. "Motivations to consume ecological foods in alternative food networks (AFNs) in Southern Spain." British Food Journal 121, no. 11 (October 24, 2019): 2565–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bfj-01-2019-0051.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the motivations to consume ecological foods in alternative food networks (AFNs). Design/methodology/approach In total, 150 questionnaires were applied; the questionnaire was adapted from Food Choice Questionnaire (Steptoe et al., 1995). Data were analyzed by means of multivariate statistics with factor and cluster analysis. In order to identify statistical differences (p<0.05), Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney nonparametric tests were performed. Findings Ten factors or motivations were found: social ecological concern, nutritional content, sensory aspects, certifications, naturalness, specialized consumption, trust in the seller, economic aspects, health and availability. Four groups were obtained and called: citizen consumers, in-process citizen consumers, conscious social consumers with no interest in certifications and conscious pragmatic consumers. It is concluded that differentiated consumers visit these establishments and their motivations are diverse, albeit they concur, to a varying extent, with the objectives of AFNs, finding a mixture of hedonic and ethical motivations. Practical implications This sort of works about specific places of consumption as well as specific consumers, in this case ecological, contributes to the development of future social research on other contexts, different consumers and products. Originality/value This sort of research has been carried out in various European cities, with a number of foods and over various sales channels; however, at present there is a debate around AFNs and the veracity of their goals. This way, the present work can contribute with an answer to whether the goals match the motivations of consumers.
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Bilewicz, Aleksandra, and Ruta Śpiewak. "Beyond the “Northern” and “Southern” Divide: Food and Space in Polish Consumer Cooperatives." East European Politics and Societies: and Cultures 33, no. 3 (November 21, 2018): 579–602. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0888325418806046.
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In this article, the authors analyze emerging alternative food networks (AFNs) in Poland—that is, newly established consumer cooperatives—focusing on how the networks’ members perceive food and the space of its production. This analysis leads to reflection on the division that exists in the subject literature between “northern” and “southern” AFNs. The authors argue that this division does not capture the complex situation of Central and Eastern Europe’s postsocialist countries. While one type of Polish cooperative—identified as “activist”—resembles “northern” AFNs in some respects, the “consumption-oriented” cooperatives evince many features of the “southern” type. It is argued that both types of cooperatives are built according to Western patterns, but there is an underlying understanding of food quality that defines their actual relations with producers and consumer choices, and this has much in common with the informal food networks prevalent during the socialist period. Therefore, alternative food networks in postsocialist countries require a new interpretation that may change the overall categorization of AFNs.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)"
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DEMALDE', CHIARA AURORA. "Cibo e sostenibilità nei sistemi urbani. Il consumo alimentare sostenibile nella città di Milano." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/52032.
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La sostenibilità alimentare è un tema centrale nel dibattito internazionale in quanto è uno degli ambiti più delicati e importanti per il futuro dell’umanità, considerato che l’attuale sistema alimentare risulta insostenibile sia dal punto di vista ambientale, che economico e sociale. L’urgenza di ulteriori studi e ricerche in questo ambito riguarda soprattutto i sistemi urbani in quanto le città del futuro saranno sempre più popolose e le risorse naturali ed energetiche limitate e più scarse. L’emergenza alimentare è quindi uno dei temi principali della futura low carbon society e il rapporto tra cibo e città è uno dei punti chiave su cui riflettere.
Dal punto di vista teorico la tesi propone una visione interdisciplinare volta ad unire i concetti della sostenibilità alimentare con la dimensione urbana, per dare forma a una visione più completa. Viene illustrata l’importanza del cibo nell’influenzare la nostra vita e i luoghi che viviamo e la forza di cambiamento contenuta in esso. Particolare attenzione è dedicata, quindi, agli studi sulla scelta alimentare in quanto è necessario indagare in profondità le motivazioni e gli ostacoli che determinano le pratiche di consumo nutrizionale dei cittadini e in che modo essi agiscono sull’attuazione di stili di vita sostenibili.
Si esaminano inoltre i nuovi canali di approvigionamento alimentare “alternativi” attraverso cui i cittadini possono attuare pratiche di consumo sostenibile nel campo dell’alimentazione, sempre più frequenti e stabili soprattutto nelle città. Se ne rilevano caratteristiche, vantaggi e limiti per far luce sui motivi che spingono i cittadini a cercare e creare nuove modalità di consumo alimentare e sugli ostacoli attuativi che possono incontrare.
L’ultima parte della tesi presenta i risultati di un’indagine empirica condotta nella città di Milano, volta a cogliere i fattori che determinano la scelta di consumo alimentare sostenibile dei milanesi. Oltre a considerare l’influenza dei fattori socioeconomici, la ricerca si propone di valutare il grado di incidenza di altre condizioni strutturali e territoriali, in primis l’accessibilità. Lo studio prende in esame anche i fattori valoriali e indaga l’influenza della predisposizione personale e delle attitudini al consumo sostenibile, nonché il ruolo dell’infomazione e della comunicazione. La ricerca si articola in tre fasi: una survey on-line a cittadini e a membri dei GAS (Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale) milanesi, un’analisi spaziale della distribuzione di cibo sostenibile a Milano (effettuata tramite GIS) che permette di individuare le zone di analisi e passare all’ultima fase con le interviste in profondità effettuate a soggetti appartenenti a zone ad alta e bassa densità di cibo sostenibile. Questo permette di avere un quadro più esaustivo e di individuare drivers e barriere del consumo alimentare sostenibile nei sistemi urbani. Si riscontrano nuove evidenze empiriche e concettuali utili, sia a dare nuova linfa e orientamento in questo ambito di studi, sia a indirizzare le politiche locali verso una maggiore efficacia di azione.Due to the current situation of economic crisis and environmental alarm together with the growing urbanization process at global level, it is becoming more and more urgent facing with problems that concern food sovereignty and urban sustainability. The result is a concrete necessity to elaborate new paradigms and methodology of research that can enlighten the situation from a theoretical and practical perspective. In the first part, an interdisciplinary approach is used to discuss the role of food and of eating practices in shaping our lives and the places we live, with reference to the literature on food sustainability and on urban food systems. A specific part is dedicated to sociological studies that show the cultural dimension of food and the evolving processes of eating habits. Moreover, it is presented the literature on ‘food choice’ that can help to understand better the rise of alternative food networks (AFN’s) which can orientate to a more sustainable way of living and buying. The last part of the thesis presents the results of an empirical research on the consumption of sustainable food in the city of Milan. The scope of the study is to identify which factors influence food choice, considering both contextual and personal factors. Thus, the focus is on the influence of spatial and economical accessibility to sustainable food but also on the incidence of values, attitudes and knowledge (including the role of information media). Three different research methods are used to investigate more effectively how sustainable food is distributed, perceived and known from milanese citizens: an on-line survey, a spatial analysis (with GIS) and qualitative interviews to residents in low and high density areas of sustainable food consumption. This research can reveal useful indications to manage new concepts and adopt a more complete view on the relationship between food and the city that includes also the sustainability issue. Furthermore, it highlights drivers and barriers on the path to enhance sustainable behaviour patterns that could be useful for researchers and to public actors in order to afford proper and effective strategies of intervention.
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Miller, Wendy M. "Allotments and alternative food networks : the case of Plymouth, UK." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/2874.
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Alternative food networks (AFNs) are the focus of an ‘explosive growth’ of research in Europe (Goodman 2004), and the term covers a wide range of activities, from food banks, community gardens, and farmers’ markets, to community supported or organic agriculture. However, there is an impasse in differing positions over whether AFNs represent an exclusionary place-based ‘quality turn’ (Ilbery and Kneafsey 2000), or whether they contribute to inclusive local communities, sustainability and food security (Tregear 2011, Kirwan and Maye 2013). This research aimed to clarify these debates, through exploration of UK allotments as a benchmark for AFNs, using the case of Plymouth, SW England. A political ecology perspective of social-ecological systems (Ostrom 2008) was used to investigate the activities, relations and governance involved in allotments and AFNs, organised through the concepts of multidimensional capital assets (Bebbington 1999). This research demonstrates how activities on allotments involve human, social, cultural, natural and political capital assets, encompassing both basic food security and a quality turn towards ‘good food’ (Sage 2003). Taking the long view, it is seen that the relative importance of the different asset dimensions are contingent on wider socio-political settings. Relations on allotments illustrate the building of social capital, which extends to wider communities of interest, practice and place (Harrington et al. 2008), and which involves values of social justice that can be explained as diverse or care economies (Gibson-Graham 2008, Dowler et al. 2010). However, the politics and governance of allotments are largely influenced by neoliberal policies that favour oligopolistic and transnational food systems and restrict urban land allocations for place-based food initiatives. Present-day urban population densities are at levels far higher than envisaged for the original garden cities. Nevertheless, alliances at neighbourhood, city, regional, national and transnational scales are coalescing around the values represented in the original setting up of the UK allotment system: of self-reliance, human-scale settlements and the restorative value of the natural environment. Any realization of the potential contribution of allotments and AFNs to the sustainability and resilience of food supplies for urban populations (Armitage et al. 2008, Folke et al. 2010) ultimately depends on multilevel responses to a large range of challenges. Finally, the thesis contends that, in the present day, evidence is building up around the potential of allotments and many other AFN activities, or place-based food systems, to meet multiple policy objectives through aligned values.
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Canal, Vieira Leticia. "Creating sustainable and resilient urban food systems: A study of Australian alternative food networks." Thesis, Griffith University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/392015.
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Food systems are vulnerable to the impacts of resource scarcity, climate change, and population growth, as well as the issues associated with unsustainable social, environmental and economic practices. These challenges have encouraged local food systems as an alternative to global supply chains. This thesis studies this trend at the urban level in order to explore issues and opportunities for change. It argues that urban food systems need to embrace both sustainability and resilience. A sustainable urban food system has an economy that serves social needs while safely operating within ecological limits. Resilience, on the other hand, includes the ability to recover from shocks such as extreme weather events, as well as the capacity to adapt and ultimately transform in response to the ongoing impacts of climate change.
The main research question that this thesis investigates is “How can alternative food networks help to foster sustainable and resilient urban food systems considering climate change and increased urbanisation?” A comparative case study approach was used involving local initiatives in the Brisbane and greater Melbourne metropolitan regions (Australia). Both Australian urban areas have similar economic development; however, differences can be found in terms of institutional interest and the existence of food policies. The gathering of a diverse picture of alternative food networks was the strategy adopted for selecting the initiatives that participated in this research. The criteria that alternative food networks should attend were the existence of goals related to access to healthy food, fairer conditions for food workers, and reduction of environmental impacts. The thesis used multiple sources of data including primary (semi-structured interviews with founders or members of initiatives and field observation) and secondary data (publicly available documents such as annual reports).
The findings of this research contribute to the conceptualisation and planning of sustainable and resilient urban food systems, as well as, to the knowledge on the role and limitations of alternative food networks in achieving this. The case study conducted in this thesis revealed how alternative food networks can contribute to the creation of food provision systems that are aligned with environmental sustainability and social justice. The thesis exposed the particularities of initiatives that, among other aspects, have minimal food loss and waste, supports agroecology, provides farmers with fair payment and makes organic food affordable. Alternative food networks demonstrated to have resilience building capacity, something that is not confined to its borders and can impact on the whole urban food system. Alternative food networks’ values travel and allow the replication and creation of new models, however, not in the pace necessary for a wider urban food system transformation. The main challenge exposed by this thesis for alternative food networks is the need for scaling up by influencing institutions and policies more broadly.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Environment and Sc
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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Puranen, Niklas, and Markus Jansson. "Alternative Food Networks and Social Media in Marketing : A multiple case study exploring how Alternative Food Networks use social media in order to help small local food producers reach the market." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-131950.
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The food provision system of today has been argued to be unsustainable with large scale production, price-pressure and outbreaks of diseases. Many consumers in the EU and Sweden are reacting to these issues and are becoming increasingly interested in finding local food alternatives that they consider to be safer and of higher quality. However, the small local food producers due to scarce budgets and marketing skills have problems in reaching this target market. Partly due to this, there has been an emergence of Alternative Food Networks (AFN) within which producers come together to get assistance in marketing and sales. Social media has emerged as a phenomenon that is argued by marketing scholars to be a highly useful tool to spread information in a cost-efficient way. Therefore, this study seek to answer the explorative question: “How do Alternative Food Networks use social media in order to help small local food producers reach the market?” The main purpose of the thesis is to explore and develop an understanding of how the emerging AFNs use social media to promote small local agricultural producers and help them in reaching the market. This will be done by investigating AFNs as Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) marketing networks, and how these operate in terms of the theoretical areas external marketing communication, coordination of the SME marketing network, segmentation practices and sales promotion. The theoretical contribution is to see how AFNs work in terms of these areas, and the practical implications will be to give advice on how AFNs should use social media to improve these areas. The study is done in an exploratory manner, and the data collection has been performed in accordance with qualitative research. This has been done through seven semi-structured interviews with respondents from six different AFNs in Sweden that are active on social media. The conclusions of this study shows that AFNs value the use of social media, however they utilize this tool to a varied degree. The AFNs use it to inform and to interact with their customers. Social media does not seem to be very actively incorporated into network communication or monitoring. The AFNs have many ideas about who their customer groups are, and in some cases these have been identified specifically on social media, which has been used to some extent for targeted advertising. The AFNs position themselves as a “good” food alternative. In sales promotion the AFNs mainly promote their events on social media, and have also promoted discounts to some extent. The study provides new theoretical knowledge in the area of marketing through social media by SMEs like AFNs. Practical implications for the AFNs are discussed, which mainly involve increasing the time spent on social media as a mainly free and powerful marketing tool.
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Korcekova, Kristina. "The Serving and the Served: Relationship between suppliers and food hubs in Swedish Alternative Food Networks." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-324560.
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The Swedish alternative food networks landscape is underdeveloped compared to that of the US or the countries of Western Europe, however its development has sped up in recent years. The relationship between the farmer and the food hub is the first one to be built when an Alternative Food Network is being set up and therefore represents a valid starting point in the hitherto scarcely studied field of alternative food distribution in Sweden. The paper used a relationship-marketing framework with the addition of elements from Civic Food Networks conceptualization of Alternative Food Networks in order to explain the creation and maintenance, as a well as the quality and depth of supplier-distributor relationships in two cases of Swedish food hubs. Given the immaturity of the Swedish market, this paper tried to explore the possible variations existing in the landscape. In the case of student-led food cooperative Ultimat and its two studied suppliers, values and larger local food systems goals played the primary role in creating and maintaining the relationship, in spite of the poor economic performance of such a relationship in the eyes of the suppliers. The linkages forged between the two entities are strong due to shared values and common goals. In the case of Bygdens Saluhall, the values play a certain role, but the economic element remains crucial for the farmers. At the same time, the connection is closer and ownership of the project by the farmers more significant. Additionally, points of interest arose for future research, notably the diverging stance of Ultimat’s suppliers vs. Bygdens Saluhall’s suppliers in the question of pro-business food hubs and organization of alternative food networks in general.
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MATACENA, RAFFAELE. "Exploring the production side: Small scale food producers and alternative food networks in European urban contexts Raffaele Matacena." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/241153.
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L’applicazione di modelli industriali intensivi alla produzione e alla distribuzione degli alimenti e la liberalizzazione degli scambi sui mercati internazionali hanno portato alla costituzione di un mercato globale del cibo ad alta intensità di capitale e fortemente concentrato, in cui evidenti squilibri di potere concedono enormi capacità direzionali e decisionali a un numero ristretto di grandi player internazionali. Ciò ha generato gravi esternalità che hanno provocato un impatto sulla vita umana, sociale ed ecosistemica, rendendo manifesta la necessità di un processo di re-interiorizzazione dei processi economici legati alla produzione, alla distribuzione e al consumo di cibo entro schemi sociali e ambientali in grado di proteggere le risorse (umane, culturali, sociali, economiche ed ecosistemiche) mobilizzate dalla filiera agro-alimentare.
In questo quadro critico, assistiamo ormai da alcuni anni alla nascita e al consolidamento di strutture organizzative ‘dal basso’ che mirano alla re-incorporazione (intesa come ‘ri-socializzazione’ e ‘ri-localizzazione’) delle pratiche di produzione, distribuzione e consumo di cibo entro sistemi sostenibili e locali. Si tratta di quelli che nella letteratura internazionale sono denominati alternative food networks (AFNs), ossia schemi organizzativi di filiera alimentare che puntano alla creazione di circuiti corti di ri-valorizzazione delle produzioni locali, tradizionali e sostenibili, con la promessa di potenziare l’accesso a cibi sani, nutrizionalmente adeguati ed eticamente corretti, ed al contempo costruire un’alternativa viabile alle strutture produttiviste e predatorie del capitalismo attuale.
Negli ultimi due decenni, un imponente sforzo di ricerca ha permesso la creazione di una robusta letteratura sui fenomeni di ri-localizzazione e sugli alternative food networks. Molte analisi hanno avuto ad oggetto la transizione dei modelli di consumo verso la riscoperta delle produzioni locali o etiche, o altrettanto si sono occupate dei presupposti valoriali, ideologici e relazionali di funzionamento dei network e delle economie alternative, analizzando queste reti in termini di innovazione sociale o driver di sviluppo rurale. Rimane tuttavia relativamente poco esplorata la componente produttiva, ossia l’arcipelago produttivo-imprenditoriale che viene mobilizzato da queste reti e che in esse trova un nuovo centro di gravità. Il mio studio vuole inserirsi proprio in questo solco, e tentare di avanzare la conoscenza del mondo sociale ed economico dei piccoli produttori alimentari che vendono i loro prodotti attraverso i circuiti commerciali stabiliti dagli AFN nella città di Milano e, in un’ottica comparativa, nelle città di Manchester e Lancaster nel Nord Ovest dell’Inghilterra.
Attraverso metodi qualitativi, dunque, si cercherà di fornire un’interpretazione della realtà dei produttori ‘alternativi’ nei due territori. L’obiettivo è di mettere in evidenza le loro identità e le loro storie, le loro rappresentazioni dei problemi del sistema alimentare e le strategie per venirne a capo, i requisiti, le logiche e i meccanismi d’azione che definiscono e rendono possibile la partecipazione a un AFN, l’insieme di riferimenti valoriali e ideologici che ispirano la loro azione, le opportunità, i punti critici e gli ostacoli che minacciano il proprio sviluppo personale-imprenditoriale e quello degli AFN stessi. Indagando l’habitus di questo campo emergente e le operazioni dei suoi attori, dunque, si tenterà di oggettivare la presenza e le pratiche dei ‘nuovi’ produttori alimentari e le modalità di ‘demercificazione’ tramite le quali le loro attività sono reintegrate entro un sistema innovativo di relazioni sociali.The food system crisis and the urgent need to develop a different socio-economic model for the organization of food production and consumption practices are analytical constructs about which a growing scientific consensus is coupled with increasing media attention. The application of intensive industrial models in food production and distribution together with ever growing liberalization of exchanges in international markets have spurred the development of a highly-concentrated and capital-intensive global food market, in which prominent power imbalances grant immense directional and decisional leadership to a restricted number of big international players. This type of food chain management has shown a marked incapacity to satisfy the requirements of sustainability, thus calling for a reform process which aims to re-internalize the economic processes linked to production, distribution and consumption of food within social and environmental frameworks able to protect the (human, cultural, social, economic, and ecosystem) resources which are mobilized by the agri-food chain. In this critical scenario, in the last years we have been witnessing the construction and consolidation of new ‘grassroots’ organizational structures, aiming at re-embedding (through processes of ‘re-socialization’ and ‘re-localization’) food production, distribution and consumption practices within the frame of local and sustainable systems. These initiatives have been labeled as alternative food networks (AFNs): they are food chain organizational schemes setting up and managing short circuits to re-valorize local, traditional and sustainable productions. They are seen as carrying a promise of facilitating access to healthy, nutritionally-adequate and ethically correct foods, while providing an opportunity to revive the local rural fabric by building a viable alternative to the productivist structures of current capitalism and to the predatory relationships inherent in them. In the last two decades, a great effort in research has brought about robust literature on the phenomena of re-localization and on AFNs. Many analysts have focused on the transition of consumption models towards the re-discovery of local or ethical production and others have concentrated on the values, ideologies and relations underlying the building and working of networks and alternative economies. However, the productive component of these networks remains relatively unexplored, i. e. the productive-entrepreneurial archipelago which is mobilized by these networks and which finds in them a new center of gravity. My study aims to occupy this field, and attempts to advance the knowledge of the social and economic world of small food producers selling their products through AFNs-related commercial circuits in and around the city of Milan and, in a comparative perspective, in the cities of Manchester, Lancaster and the whole region of the North-West of England. By employing qualitative methods, then, this thesis tries to provide an interpretation of the reality of ‘alternative' producers in these two cities. The objective is to bring out their identity and their story, their representations of the problems affecting the food system and their personal strategies to cope with them, plus the requirements, logics and mechanisms of action which define the participation to an AFN and make it possible. I tried to analyze the set of values and ideological references inspiring their actions, their opportunities, and the critical points and obstacles which threaten their development and that of the AFNs themselves. By investigating the habitus of this emerging field and the operations of its players, my attempt is to objectify the presence and practices of these ‘new’ food producers, along with the corresponding ‘de-commodification’ modalities with which their activities are re-integrated within an innovative system of social relations.
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Richards, Richard Roberto. "Short Food Supply Chains: Expectations and Reality." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2015. http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/415.
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Alternative food systems (AFSs) are so defined because they purport to challenge a value or ameliorate a negative impact of the dominant conventional food system (CFS). Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are a type of AFS whose alterity is defined by socially proximal economic exchanges that are embedded in and regulated by social relationships. This relational closeness is argued to have benefits with respect to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. However, it would be a mistake to assume that AFSs and CFSs are paradigmatically differentiated or that their structures engender particular outcomes.
The first article traces a misguided attempt to find indicators of success for farms participating in short food supply chains. The effort was misguided, because in designing the original study there was an assumption that producers participating in these AFSs shared similar goals, values, and definitions of success. The true diversity of these variables was discovered through the analysis of eighteen semi-structured interviews with Burlington and Montpelier area farmers who participate in SFSCs. This diversity motivated an exploration of the origins, common applications, and recent academic skepticism regarding assumptions of the relationship between certain food systems structures and broader food systems outcomes.
The second article undertakes to develop a framework for exploring the actual motivations of SFSCs farmers and challenging common AFS assumptions. A framework that differentiates motivations guided by formal and substantive rationality is used to code the aforementioned data. Common themes amongst the responses are discussed demonstrating that producer motivations for participating in AFSs can be diverse, contradictory, and subject to change.
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Sidsaph, Henry W. "Understanding the role of social media in relation to Alternative Food Networks : a case of Chester and its region." Thesis, University of Chester, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10034/621471.
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Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) are a system of food provision which is considered as the embodiment of the Sustainable Development (SD) agenda. They typically operate counteractively to conventional food networks (CFNs) seeking to reconnect all members in the supply chain through ethical and sustainable engagements. They are grounded by the theoretical underpinnings of quality conventions (Murdoch, 2000; Thévenot, 2002) and embeddedness notions such as alterity, valorisation, and appropriation (Dansero & Puttilli, 2014; Kirwan, 2004). Many scholars have focused on exploring AFNs in various contexts, initially focusing on binary notions of dichotomy between AFNs and CFNs, then developing discourse in terms of assessing hybridity (Holloway et al., 2006; Maye, 2013; Ponte, 2016; Renting, Marsden, & Banks, 2003; Tregear, 2011). Recent studies have indicated the potential for further research concerning social media based AFNs (Bos & Owen, 2016; Reed & Keech, 2017; Wills & Arundel, 2017). Therefore a contribution in terms of further understanding this issue arises from this thesis. The research was conducted in the midst of the referendum for the UK to withdraw from the European Union, the subsequent ‘leave’ vote resulting in a level of uncertainty in terms of policy implications. One policy implication may be that the UK will have to readdress the way it engages and supports its food and agriculture sector post-Common Agricultural Policy, therefore this research comes at a timely juncture. This research adopts an interpretivistic epistemological stance, with a constructivist ontological position. Social network analysis (SNA) of Twitter connections was conducted in order to assess connectivity and density of the AFN that was present in Chester and its region. Content analysis of this network was then conducted in order to understand SD related terms and shortlist pertinent actors for further analysis. Interviews were conducted with nine actors from this network in order to critically evaluate their perceptions of SD from an online and offline perspective. The results of the SNA suggest that the AFN of Chester and its region was not particularly well connected in terms of density. However, the SNA was a useful data collection tool, especially concerning the replicability and transferability of participant selection strategy. Further results suggested that there was a need for more organisational structures to support AFNs in becoming more mainstream and collaborative. It was also clear that there was still a degree of opposition between CFNs and AFNs, despite hybridity. A final finding of the research is the consideration of smart localism. The implications of this research are discussed, along with suggestions for future research including; the need to better understand leadership, relations between AFNs and CFNs, the role played by intermediates, and the expansion of social media based research.
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Wilbur, Andrew Mahaffey. "Seeding alternatives : back-to-the-land migration and alternative agro-food networks in Northern Italy." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2012. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3440/.
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This thesis explores ‘back-to-the-land’ migration in Northern Italy with reference to the social, political and economic networks that sustain it. ‘Back-to-the-land’ generally refers to the adoption of agriculture as a full-time vocation by people who have come from non-agricultural lifestyles. For categorical clarity in this project, research participants were limited to those from predominantly urban backgrounds, most of whom worked in service sector jobs before moving to the countryside. Many geographical studies have examined urban to rural migration but these have focused almost primarily on migrants who are not engaged in agriculture. This research traces theorisations of urban to rural migration within the discipline, situating back-to-the-land as part of broader counterculture practices originating in the 1960s. Many current expressions of back-to-the-land, however, reveal an attempt to address contemporary social, environmental and economic concerns, representing both a trajectory and an evolution from 1960s origins. Empirical research was conducted in four northern regions of Italy, looking specifically at urban to rural migrants engaged in organic or other ‘alternative’ forms of agriculture. Three simple questions informed the methodology and theoretical perspectives employed: 1) Why do people go back-to-the-land?; 2) How do they obtain the requisite skills to become competent farmers?; 3) How do they make this lifestyle economically sustainable? Answering these questions demands attention to how new farmers are inspired, supported and sustained by alternative agro-food networks (AAFNs). The research therefore explores the reciprocal relationships between back-to-the-landers and AAFNs, examining how new farmers can stimulate and influence AAFNs in addition to receiving their support. These issues are explored through interviews with back-to-the- landers and institutional representatives of AAFNs, as well participant observation in alternative agriculture projects. Particular attention is given to the organisations Slow Food, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and Associazione per Esperienze (APE), primarily with regard to their respective roles in enabling back-to-the-land migration.
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Sahlgren, Anna, and Viktor Hilber. "Motives for Engaging in Alternative Food Networks : A Case Study with Partner Companies to Regionalwert AG." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Institutionen för Urbana Studier (US), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-45187.
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Modern society’s industrial food system has led to several environmental problems and is compromising the fundamental aspects of agriculture such as fertile soil, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. In addition to this, the food system contributes to economic and social difficulties for actors within the agricultural sector. Hence, the food system requires a deep socio-economic change. Regionalwert AG is among other alternative food networks, an initiative to enhance sustainable agriculture by operating at a regional level. In this study, interviews were conducted with partner companies of Regionalwert AG with the aim to examine what motivates people to engage in alternative food networks, using Regionalwert AG as an exemplary case. A further aim was to examine the partnership between the partner companies and Regionalwert AG. The results were analysed using the study's state of knowledge and the theoretical framework, consisting of alienation theory. The study shows that the informants had unique stories about how they engaged with the network and that the partnership was constructed in three different ways: investment partnership, licensed partnership, and supportive partnership. The motivations that emerged from the study were divided into three themes: (i) economic, social and ideological, (ii) critical approach towards the food system, and (iii) re-connecting people with agriculture. The informants expressed that they want to spread knowledge and awareness about food production and Regionalwert AG makes this financially possible as well as provides a platform to spread the message about the value of food.Det moderna samhällets industriella livsmedelssystem har lett till flera miljöproblem och det kompromissar fundamentala aspekter inom jordbruket som bördig jord, biodiversitet och ekosystemtjänster. Utöver miljöproblemen bidrar livsmedelssystemet till ekonomiska och sociala svårigheter för aktörer inom jordbrukssektorn. Därav krävs en stor socioekonomisk förändring av livsmedelssystemet. Regionalwert AG är tillsammans med andra alternativa livsmedelsnätverk ett initiativ till att öka hållbart jordbruk genom att verka på en regional nivå. I den här studien, genomfördes intervjuer med partnerföretag till Regionalwert AG med syftet att undersöka vad som motiverar människor att gå med i alternativa livsmedelsnätverk, genom att använda Regionalwert AG som ett exemplifierande fall. Ett ytterligare syfte var att undersöka partnerskapet mellan partnerföretagen och Regionalwert AG. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av studiens kunskapsläge och teoretiska ramverk, bestående av alienationsteori. Studien visar att informanterna hade unika berättelser om hur de anslöt sig till nätverket och att partnerskapet var konstruerat på tre olika sätt: investerings partnerskap, licensierat partnerskap och stödjande partnerskap. Motivationerna som kom fram genom studien föll under tre teman: (i) ekonomisk, social och ideologisk, (ii) kritisk inställning mot livsmedelssystemet och (iii) återknyta människor med jordbruket. Informanterna uttryckte att de vill sprida kunskap och medvetenhet om matproduktion och Regionalwert AG gör detta finansiellt möjligt samt utgör en plattform för att sprida budskapet om värdet bakom livsmedel.
Books on the topic "AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)"
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Corsi, Alessandro, Filippo Barbera, Egidio Dansero, and Cristiana Peano, eds. Alternative Food Networks. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2.
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DuPuis, E. Melanie (Erna Melanie), 1957- and Goodman Michael K. 1969-, eds. Alternative food networks: Knowledge, practice, and politics. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012.
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Eaton, Emily. Niagara alternative food projects: Networks, discourses and nature. St. Catharines, Ont: Brock University, Dept. of Sociology, 2004.
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Goldstein, Douglas E. The online consumer guide to healthcare and wellness: Managed care and insurance, diseases and conditions, alternative medicine, fitness and sports, food and nutrition, pharmaceuticals, aging, women's health, sexuality. Chicago: Irwin, 1997.
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Beyond Alternative Food Networks. Bloomsbury Publishing Inc, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350042117.
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Edwards, Ferne. Food Resistance Movements: Journeying Through Alternative Food Networks. Palgrave Macmillan, 2022.
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Alternative Food Networks: An Interdisciplinary Assessment. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.
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Corsi, Alessandro, Egidio Dansero, Filippo Barbera, and Cristiana Peano. Alternative Food Networks: An Interdisciplinary Assessment. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
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Goodman, David, Michael K. Goodman, and E. Melanie DuPuis. Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice, and Politics. Taylor & Francis Group, 2012.
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Goodman, David, Michael K. Goodman, and E. Melanie DuPuis. Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice, and Politics. Taylor & Francis Group, 2012.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)"
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Corsi, Alessandro, Silvia Novelli, and Giacomo Pettenati. "Determinants of Farmers’ Participation in AFNs." In Alternative Food Networks, 173–96. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_9.
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Barbera, Filippo, Joselle Dagnes, and Roberto Di Monaco. "Quality and Price Setting by Producers in AFNs." In Alternative Food Networks, 215–43. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_11.
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Corsi, Alessandro, Egidio Dansero, and Cristiana Peano. "Introduction to Part IV: Environment, Territory, and AFNs." In Alternative Food Networks, 247–50. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_12.
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Barbera, Filippo, Alessandro Corsi, and Cristiana Peano. "Introduction to Part II: AFNs from the Consumer’s Viewpoint." In Alternative Food Networks, 49–55. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_3.
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Corsi, Alessandro, Filippo Barbera, and Silvia Novelli. "Introduction to Part III: AFNs from the Producers’ Viewpoint." In Alternative Food Networks, 165–72. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_8.
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Dansero, Egidio, and Giacomo Pettenati. "Reterritorialization, Proximity, and Urban Food Planning: Research Perspectives on AFNs." In Alternative Food Networks, 273–301. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_14.
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Corsi, Alessandro, and Silvia Novelli. "Determinants of Participation in AFNs and Its Value for Consumers." In Alternative Food Networks, 57–86. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_4.
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Peano, Cristiana, Nadia Tecco, and Vincenzo Girgenti. "Applied Environmental Sustainability of Fruit and Vegetables in Different Distribution Channels (AFNs and Large-Scale Retail)." In Alternative Food Networks, 251–72. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_13.
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Edwards, Ferne. "Alternative Food Networks." In Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics, 1–7. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_513-1.
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Edwards, Ferne. "Alternative Food Networks." In Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics, 151–57. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_513.
Full textConference papers on the topic "AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)"
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Sun, Yujing, Haoqiang Wen, Qiancheng Chen, Da Zhang, Jiangtao Qi, and Dongmei Hu. "An alternative method on dynamic analysis of food mastication based on discrete element method." In 2011 International Conference on Consumer Electronics, Communications and Networks (CECNet). IEEE, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/cecnet.2011.5768429.
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Joye, Iris. "Gluten as a unique protein building cereal product structure, is there an alternative?" In 2022 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo. American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS), 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.21748/nszg5126.
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As a highly functional ingredient, gluten plays a vital structure-building role in a diversity of cereal products. However, an estimated 6% of the Canadian population is sensitive to gluten consumption and should, hence, avoid including gluten in their diet. This has led to the development of a range of food products that are gluten-free of which some focus on the use of alternative cereal proteins such as zein. The unique viscoelastic properties of gluten, however, are not that easy to replicate. The aim of the here presented work was to (i) better understand the structure of gluten in a complex dough matrix and (ii) to study the structure of zein in a protein-starch dough system. Hereto, protein structure was studied by fluorescence, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The results on structure were then related to dough rheology. Both gluten and zein can form a network structure upon hydration and mechanical energy input. However, the two formed networks are very different from one another in terms of their molecular and microscopic structure and the viscoelastic properties they impart to the formed dough. The insights from this study could be one of the pieces in the puzzle towards functional gluten replacement in bread-type products.
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ASCANI, Michela, and Gaetano MARTINO. "OBJECTIVES AND RESOURCES USES RANKING IN SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS: LITERATURE REVIEW AND DESIGN PRINCIPLES." In RURAL DEVELOPMENT. Aleksandras Stulginskis University, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.15544/rd.2017.061.
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The objective of the paper is investigating food networks (FNs), focusing on the emerging of recurring themes in literature and investigating how the networks relationships may influence the resources uses in farming activities. The research was carried out through access to Web of Science and Scopus databases in order to investigate the literature on FNs. The period considered is 2000-2016, using as selected key words food networks, food and practices, alternative food networks. Then we selected and classified the resulting articles and identified a set of themes addressed in literature. The main outcome of this analysis is the identification of the following themes: a) common/shared FNs characteristics; b) trust creation and embeddedness facilitated by face to face relations; c) role of FNs in transformation of food systems towards social, environmental and health objectives; d) food citizenship/sovereignty-civil engagement; e) values inspiring FNs objectives, namely sustainability, fairness/social justice, health protection, ethical consumption/political action; f) governance of the consumers-producers relations. We argue that identified themes are dimensions related to FNs objectives. More precisely we then conceptualize the identified characteristics as drivers of the ranking of resource uses in farming systems. Elaborating on this idea we derive principles for supporting the design of governance of these groups. The study concludes underlying the complexity of food networks and their capability to influence the resources uses by setting up flexible but resilient governance structures.
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Talluri, Aishwarya. "Spatial planning and design for food security. Building Positive Rural-urban Linkages." In 55th ISOCARP World Planning Congress, Beyond Metropolis, Jakarta-Bogor, Indonesia. ISOCARP, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.47472/rymx6371.
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Food is vital for human survival. Food has had a significant impact on our built environment since the beginning of human life. The process of feeding oneself was most people’s primary job for the greater part of human history. Urban Migration moved people away from rural and natural landscapes on which they had been dependent for food and other amenities for centuries.1 Emergence of the cities leads to a new paradigm where the consumers get their food from rural hinterland where the main production of food products happens2 . In a globalized world with an unprecedented on-going process of urbanization, There is an ever reducing clarity between urban and rural, the paper argues that the category of the urban & rural as a spatial and morphological descriptor has to be reformulated, calling for refreshing, innovating and formulating the way in which urban and rural resource flows happen. India is projected to be more than 50% urban by 2050 (currently 29%). The next phase of economic and social development will be focused on urbanization of its rural areas. This 50 %, which will impact millions of people, will not come from cities, but from the growth of rural towns and small cities. Urbanization is accelerated through Government schemes such as JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ) , PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana), 100 smart cities challenge, Rurban Mission are formulated with developmental mindset. The current notions of ‘development’ are increasing travel distances, fuels consumption, food imports, deterioration of biodiversity, pollution, temperatures, cost of living. The enormity of the issue is realized when the cumulative effect of all cities is addressed. Urban biased development becomes an ignorant choice, causing the death of rural and deterioration of ecological assets. Most people live in places that are distant from production fields have been observed as an increasing trend. Physical separation of people from food production has resulted in a degree of indifference about where and how food is produced, making food a de-contextualized market product as said by Halweil, 20023 . The resulting Psychological separation of people from the food supply and the impacts this may have on long term sustainability of food systems. Methodology : . Sharing the learning about planning for food security through Field surveys, secondary and tertiary sources. Based on the study following parameters : 1. Regional system of water 2. Landforms 3. Soil type 4. Transportation networks 5. Historical evolution 6. Urban influences A case study of Delhi, India, as a site to study a scenario that can be an alternative development model for the peri-urban regions of the city. To use the understanding of spatial development and planning to formulate guidelines for sustainable development of a region that would foster food security.
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Zhang, Sitian, and Lingyun Chen. "Atmospheric Cold Plasma Treatment Enhanced the Pea Protein Gelling Properties and Mechanisms Study." In 2022 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo. American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS), 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.21748/zput8550.
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Pea protein is increasingly used as an alternative for soy protein due to its high nutritional value and hypoallergenic status. However, high denaturation temperatures and less cysteine content of pea protein cause a weaker gelation performance than soy protein, which limited pea protein applications as gelling ingredients in food formulations. In this study, atmospheric cold plasma as a promising non-thermal technology was applied to induce the gel formation of pea protein at reduced temperatures even at 70-80 oC that is much lower than its denaturation temperature. Moreover, the formed gels exhibited significantly improved mechanical strength when compared to that of pea protein without treatment, as well as high viscoelasticity and water holding capacity (88%). Next, the gelling mechanism was studied by monitoring pea protein structural changes during cold plasma treatment, as well as the gel formation process. Atmospheric cold plasma treatment could partially unfold the pea protein tertiary structure and increase the surface hydrophobicity. Meanwhile, unfolded protein was susceptible to oxidization by reactive species (such as reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species) generated by atmospheric cold plasma, resulting in an increase in exposed free sulfhydryl groups and disulfide bonds. Additionally, hydrogen bonding could play an important role to stabilize the gel network through the results of gelation and dissociation of the gel formation process. Therefore, atmospheric cold plasma facilitated the formation of protein networks via physical forces and covalent bonds. This work has broadened the application of atmospheric cold plasma technology for a plant protein treatment and provided a novel and energy efficiency strategy to develop the gelling ingredient from pea protein for plant-based food development as a trend in the food market.
Reports on the topic "AFN's (Alternative Food Networks)"
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Baker, Justin S., George Van Houtven, Yongxia Cai, Fekadu Moreda, Chris Wade, Candise Henry, Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, and A. J. Kondash. A Hydro-Economic Methodology for the Food-Energy-Water Nexus: Valuation and Optimization of Water Resources. RTI Press, May 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2021.mr.0044.2105.
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Growing global water stress caused by the combined effects of growing populations, increasing economic development, and climate change elevates the importance of managing and allocating water resources in ways that are economically efficient and that account for interdependencies between food production, energy generation, and water networks—often referred to as the “food-energy-water (FEW) nexus.” To support these objectives, this report outlines a replicable hydro-economic methodology for assessing the value of water resources in alternative uses across the FEW nexus–including for agriculture, energy production, and human consumption—and maximizing the benefits of these resources through optimization analysis. The report’s goal is to define the core elements of an integrated systems-based modeling approach that is generalizable, flexible, and geographically portable for a range of FEW nexus applications. The report includes a detailed conceptual framework for assessing the economic value of water across the FEW nexus and a modeling framework that explicitly represents the connections and feedbacks between hydrologic systems (e.g., river and stream networks) and economic systems (e.g., food and energy production). The modeling components are described with examples from existing studies and applications. The report concludes with a discussion of current limitations and potential extensions of the hydro-economic methodology.