Reinforcing short food supply chain through a process of inter-organizational structuration: a study of the “5C Collective”[Renforcer la viabilité des circuits alimentaires de proximité via une structure inter-organisations : une analyse du collectif 5C]

Short food supply chain (SFSC) initiatives have been considered as innovation niches that may induce agri-food system transition. However, the social and economic viability of these initiatives remains uncertain, thereby restraining their transformative potential. In Wallonia (Belgium), cooperatives have formed alliances within the "5C Collective" in order to reinforce their activities. Based on qualitative data collected through deep immersion within the "5C collective", the present work describes an inter-organizational level of structuration that has received little attention so far. Drawing on transition studies, this paper further demonstrates that the ongoing collective strategy coincides with the creation of a global niche, an evidence of a step made further toward food-system transition in Wallonia.