Shortening the chains : social relations and dynamics of production in Uppland's alternative food networks

Abstract: Current global food systems are characterised by a highly concentrated capitalist market where food is treated as a globalised hyper commodity and small-scale farmers are pushed into the side-line. The need for the transformation of that food system is urgent and acknowledged worldwide. Alternative food networks (AFNs) initiatives have emerged around the globe as opposition towards the conventional food system. This thesis investigates the potential of AFNs to be the steppingstone for the transformation of the current food system, by bringing change on a local level in the Swedish region of Uppland through their commoning practices. A qualitative approach was followed including in-depth interviews with seven farmers and two network representatives. The empirical material was analysed through a political ecology perspective and the concept of food commoning. The study concludes that AFNs contribute to changing the social relations among producers by enabling trust and a strong community feeling through an idea of collective management that is not connected to property but is related to the common governance of food as a resource and the collective management of the allocation of production. Participants saw AFNs as an effective way to shorten food chains and avoid intermediaries, but none believed that AFNs could replace the conventional food system. Overall, the analysis shows that operating through AFNs generates alternative dynamics of producing, exchanging, and managing resources, which involves a transparent and inclusionary system of collective management. This study is a part of the ongoing academic debate on the weaknesses and limitations of AFNs and their contribution to the transformation of the current food system.