One fork one vote : transition towards a sustainable food system in Austria - a s(l)o(w)cial niche for producers and consumers to reconnect
(2020) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20201LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- The globalisation and industrialisation of the agricultural sector made it possible to produce larger amounts of food in a faster and cheaper way than ever before, linking consumers to producers all around the planet. Although industrial food production has provided benefits for humanity in terms of access to food it is also at the root of many negative environmental and social impacts, such as biodiversity loss, pollution of soils or emissions generated from food transport. While linking consumers to producers around the world, this development simultaneously decreased the direct connection between consumers and producers.
The Slow Food Movement, a social movement that originated in the late 1980s in Italy, declared the fight against... (More) - The globalisation and industrialisation of the agricultural sector made it possible to produce larger amounts of food in a faster and cheaper way than ever before, linking consumers to producers all around the planet. Although industrial food production has provided benefits for humanity in terms of access to food it is also at the root of many negative environmental and social impacts, such as biodiversity loss, pollution of soils or emissions generated from food transport. While linking consumers to producers around the world, this development simultaneously decreased the direct connection between consumers and producers.
The Slow Food Movement, a social movement that originated in the late 1980s in Italy, declared the fight against the globalisation and industrialisation of the food industry and the fast food trend. The movement follows the philosophy that food needs to be good, clean, and fair, and highlights the importance of preserving cultural traditions, supporting small-scale farmers, and reconnecting consumers to producers. This research explores the case of the Slow Food Alpe Adria Convivium, a Slow Food association located in the south of Austria, which aims to reconnect producers and consumers by offering workshops where consumers receive hands-on experience in local sustainable food production.
This research looks into how the association from the producer’s perspective contributes to the development of the region regarding the concept of sustainable food systems, which is based on the three pillars of sustainability, economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, the development of the association as a niche and its potential to spur transition is looked at, applying strategic niche management theory. Qualitative interviews with members of the association were conducted and analysed. The results show that the association fulfils a large part of the criteria that define a sustainable food system. The analysis revealed additional factors that are necessary to consider for enhancing sustainable food systems development namely educational mandate, producer-consumer connection, collaboration of local businesses, environmental awareness, decline of farmers, and re-localisation. The educational mandate from the members of the association to create awareness for sustainable food consumption and production was identified as a key aspect as well as the reconnection between producers and consumer. The study shows that the association as a niche shows transformative characteristics highlighting different ways the niche tries to evolve while conforming with the regime. Further research looking at the consumer perspective of this case is suggested to gain a more comprehensive picture. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9011580
- author
- Spanz, Maria LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MESM02 20201
- year
- 2020
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Slow Food, sustainability transitions, sustainable food systems, strategic niche management, educational mandate, re-localisation
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2020:014
- language
- English
- id
- 9011580
- date added to LUP
- 2020-06-08 13:51:17
- date last changed
- 2020-06-08 13:51:17
@misc{9011580,
abstract = {{The globalisation and industrialisation of the agricultural sector made it possible to produce larger amounts of food in a faster and cheaper way than ever before, linking consumers to producers all around the planet. Although industrial food production has provided benefits for humanity in terms of access to food it is also at the root of many negative environmental and social impacts, such as biodiversity loss, pollution of soils or emissions generated from food transport. While linking consumers to producers around the world, this development simultaneously decreased the direct connection between consumers and producers.
The Slow Food Movement, a social movement that originated in the late 1980s in Italy, declared the fight against the globalisation and industrialisation of the food industry and the fast food trend. The movement follows the philosophy that food needs to be good, clean, and fair, and highlights the importance of preserving cultural traditions, supporting small-scale farmers, and reconnecting consumers to producers. This research explores the case of the Slow Food Alpe Adria Convivium, a Slow Food association located in the south of Austria, which aims to reconnect producers and consumers by offering workshops where consumers receive hands-on experience in local sustainable food production.
This research looks into how the association from the producer’s perspective contributes to the development of the region regarding the concept of sustainable food systems, which is based on the three pillars of sustainability, economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, the development of the association as a niche and its potential to spur transition is looked at, applying strategic niche management theory. Qualitative interviews with members of the association were conducted and analysed. The results show that the association fulfils a large part of the criteria that define a sustainable food system. The analysis revealed additional factors that are necessary to consider for enhancing sustainable food systems development namely educational mandate, producer-consumer connection, collaboration of local businesses, environmental awareness, decline of farmers, and re-localisation. The educational mandate from the members of the association to create awareness for sustainable food consumption and production was identified as a key aspect as well as the reconnection between producers and consumer. The study shows that the association as a niche shows transformative characteristics highlighting different ways the niche tries to evolve while conforming with the regime. Further research looking at the consumer perspective of this case is suggested to gain a more comprehensive picture.}},
author = {{Spanz, Maria}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
title = {{One fork one vote : transition towards a sustainable food system in Austria - a s(l)o(w)cial niche for producers and consumers to reconnect}},
year = {{2020}},
}