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Translocal practices and proximities in short quality food chains at the periphery: the case of North Swedish farmers

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  • Alexandre Dubois

    (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)

Abstract

This paper examines the social and organizational innovation processes undertaken by small-scale producers engaged in short food supply chains in the North Swedish region of Västerbotten. The study uses the notion of proximity to empirically analyse and conceptually explore these phenomena. The paper illustrates the ‘new associationalism’ mobilized by producers in order to promote knowledge exchange and learning and highlights the role of translocal practices in sustaining this transition. The study found that open and trusted interactions with consumers are central to the development of ‘quasi-organic’ practices, and that producers belong to numerous motley associations of food professionals facilitating the creation of collective meanings about near-produced quality food. The paper contributes to the rapprochement between agri-food studies and human geography to understand the formation of local food systems from an evolutionary and relational perspective.

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  • Alexandre Dubois, 2019. "Translocal practices and proximities in short quality food chains at the periphery: the case of North Swedish farmers," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(4), pages 763-778, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:36:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s10460-019-09953-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-019-09953-y
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    3. Rosalia Stella Evola & Giovanni Peira & Erica Varese & Alessandro Bonadonna & Enrica Vesce, 2022. "Short Food Supply Chains in Europe: Scientific Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Hebinck, Aniek & Selomane, Odirilwe & Veen, Esther & de Vrieze, Anke & Hasnain, Saher & Sellberg, My & Sovová, Lucie & Thompson, Kyle & Vervoort, Joost & Wood, Amanda, 2020. "Exploring the transformative potential of urban food: a future research agenda," SocArXiv 4k6dh, Center for Open Science.
    5. Gumataw Kifle Abebe, 2020. "Effects of institutional pressures on the governance of food safety in emerging food supply chains: a case of Lebanese food processors," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(4), pages 1125-1138, December.
    6. Giannis T. Tsoulfas & Panagiotis Trivellas & Panagiotis Reklitis & Anna Anastasopoulou, 2023. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Short Supply Chains in the Agri-Food Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-46, January.
    7. Jiacheng Zhang & Jianli Luo & Jia Li, 2021. "Agricultural co-operatives participating in supply chain integration in China: A qualitative comparative analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(4), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Gerlinde Behrendt & Sarah Peter & Simone Sterly & Anna Maria Häring, 2022. "Community financing for sustainable food and farming: a proximity perspective," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 1063-1075, September.
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