Globalization/fragmentation process : governance and public policies for localized agri-food systems

Globalization processes and new forms of political, economic and social fragmentation are being developed at the same time. This article tackles a double paradox. The first is the paradox of consumption fragmentation: in a world characterized by the standardization of goods and services, a consumer emerges who demands products with specific characteristics associated to a territory, which indicate that it belongs to a place and a culture. The second is the paradox of collective actions vs. social exclusions: the growing demands on producers to ensure authenticity of a product and compliance with environmental regulations through certification mechanisms, most often foreign to the producer, cause new inequalities and asymmetries in the organization and collective action both within and without communities. This article is divided into three parts that analyze the aforementioned paradoxes, their dilemmas and consequences in relation to governance; deal with their conceptual relationships; and establish their importance for public policy.