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The Geography of Somewhere: The Farmers' Market and Sustainability in Brno, Czech Republic

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  • Benjamin J. Vail

Abstract

Increasing international uncertainty - including factors such as ongoing financial crises, climate change and energy scarcity - raises questions about which policy strategies can best solve environmental problems and promote community development. This article describes the functioning of the farmers' market in the Czech city of Brno and analyses how it may contribute to local sustainable development. Theoretically, the article engages the debate over the meaning of sustainability and appropriate policies to achieve sustainability goals. Field observations, interviews, content analysis of government documents, and a survey of vendors reveal how the market functions, indicate the meaning of the market for customers and vendors alike, shed light on the future use of the space and provide data for comparison of market activities with official sustainability policy. The article concludes that a novel approach toward sustainable development is to work with existing traditions like farmers' markets rather than focus efforts exclusively on top-down initiatives and high-tech solutions. While such markets are not automatically ecologically friendly, and farmers' markets alone cannot produce a sustainable society, this research demonstrates the potential of such emergent, bottom-up activities to help transform society-nature relations while improving urban quality of life.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin J. Vail, 2014. "The Geography of Somewhere: The Farmers' Market and Sustainability in Brno, Czech Republic," Environmental Values, White Horse Press, vol. 23(1), pages 51-74, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:env:journl:ev23:ev2303
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brno; Czech Republic; farmers' markets; sustainable development; Agenda 21;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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