Linking alternative food networks and urban food policy: a step forward in the transition towards a sustainable and equitable food system?

• Authors: Raffaele Matacena
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Seen as a response to the incumbent crisis affecting the food system, alternative food networks are a promising link of a new food chain, founded on a sustainable paradigm. Their activities aim at realizing a process of ‘re-localization’ and ‘re-socialization’ of food production-distribution-consumption practices, holding a prospect for the construction of a more environmentally sound, socially just and economically sustainable local food system. In order to provide such benefits, though, a host of regulatory constraints and logistical and operational barriers have to be overcome. In this paper we argue that a potentially effective force supporting the development of alternative food networks is detectable in the rapidly diffusing trend constituted by the adoption, by local governments, of a set of urban food policies integrating food issues into the many spheres of urban regulation. Such policy effort may help to coordinate public intervention with the purpose of setting the ground for a healthy local/regional food system, and provide alternative food networks with stronger connections, political capital and legitimization.

Keywords

EN

Alternative food networks; urban food policy; food system; food crisis; sustainability; food security

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: International Review of Social Research
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 49-58

Dates

published

2016-05-01

received

2016-03-08

accepted

2016-04-29

online

2016-08-06

Contributors

author

Raffaele Matacena

• Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milan-Bicocca, U7 Building, Via Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20126 Milan, Italy,

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/irsr-2016-0007