Reclaiming traditional practices in Alternative Food Networks. Insights from Mexico City peri-urban agriculture.

Keywords: Alternative Food Networks, food systems, Mexico, peri-urban agriculture
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 1

Abstract

In the literature on how to make food systems just and sustainable, we often look at alternative food networks (AFN) as a way forward. AFNs are examples of initiatives proposing an alternative to conventional food systems (driven by productivism and harmful to human and environmental health). Despite this broad understanding of what an AFN can be, in practice, most cases of AFN presented in the literature look surprisingly alike. This presentation aims to challenge the scholars working on alternative food networks to look beyond the narrow definition of what AFNs are by proposing an outsider case from the Global South. The case is that of the chinampas, a traditional agricultural system that contributes in different ways to local sustainability. Analyzing semi-structured interviews conducted in chinampas on the topics of systems of production and distribution channels, we argue that chinampas can be defined as an alternative food network. We conclude that if the AFN literature wants to contribute to a radical research agenda that proposes diverse alternatives to bring about sustainable and just food systems, it needs to consider the possibility that traditional food production and distribution channels can present an alternative to the conventional food system. To that end, institutionalization and innovation should not be considered essential characteristics of AFNs.