Against the grain: a commons approach to the governance of ‘Alternative Grain Networks’

Industrial grain production, driven by large-scale monoculture and intensive use of synthetic inputs, has become a cornerstone of global food systems. However, its environmental, social, and economic sustainability is increasingly called into question. The depletion of soil health, biodiversity loss, high carbon emissions, and the marginalisation of small farmers highlight the unsustainability of this model. A growing movement of farmers, millers, and bakers from across Europe are beginning to find collaborative ways around these problems by creating territorially-situated networks to govern the use of genetically diverse and/or ecologically produced and processed grains. However, these emergent ‘alternative grain networks’ (AGNs) remain poorly understood, especially in terms of their use of novel governance structures, economic arrangements, and their scaling potential. This article presents and systematically analyses three AGN case studies from across Europe. Using an adapted four-part ‘food as a commons’ framework, we assess each case to understand the genesis of these initiatives and their constituent elements; namely, who are the actors involved, what motivates them, and how governance is being enacted. Our analysis revealed several important aspects which we believe must be considered in the development of AGNs as collaborative initiatives. We argue that the AGN initiatives’ capacity to collaborate is based on a process of creating a ‘commons for food’, not only including material resources and sector-specific knowledge, but also the tools of governance in territorial supply chains. Beyond material resources and sector-specific knowledge, shared values and governance tools in territorial supply chains must also be recognised and governed as shared resources to ensure AGNs deliver collective benefits, but also a sustainable and equitable grain system in the long term.