Abstract

This paper examines the social and organizational innovation processes undertaken by small-scale producers engaged in short food supply chains in the North Swedish region of Vasterbotten. The study uses the notion of proximity to empirically analyse and conceptually explore these phenomena. The paper illustrates the 'new associationalism' mobilized by producers in order to promote knowledge exchange and learning and highlights the role of translocal practices in sustaining this transition. The study found that open and trusted interactions with consumers are central to the development of 'quasi-organic' practices, and that producers belong to numerous motley associations of food professionals facilitating the creation of collective meanings about near-produced quality food. The paper contributes to the rapprochement between agri-food studies and human geography to understand the formation of local food systems from an evolutionary and relational perspective.

Keywords

Organized proximity; Short food supply chain; Social innovation; Organic farming; External knowledge

Published in

Agriculture and Human Values
2019, Volume: 36, number: 4, pages: 763-778
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Dubois, Alexandre

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture


UKÄ Subject classification

Other Agricultural Sciences not elsewhere specified


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-09953-y

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/102612