Networks, flows and actors : promoting sustainability in globalising food provision

Abstract

Esteemed Rector Magnificus, dear colleagues, family and friend IntroductionFood is farming; food is processing and trade; food is nutrition and calories. But food is also a highly social phenomenon. Or, in the words of the sociologist Simmel (Symons, 1994): the most common people have in common is that they must eat and drink but this is oddly enough also a most egoistic activity because what the individual eats no one else can eat. These are crude physiological facts but they can, nevertheless, be the starting point of fascinating sociological research as Simmel and later Elias (1939) have shown when they analysed the daily meal. I want to build on their and other sociological insights to analyse global food provision.In this lecture I will explain what my intentions are in contributing to the social sciences' study of the global provision of sufficient, sustainable and healthy food.First, I summarize my assessment of the current situation of food provision and formulate the key challenges that constitute the basis for my academic work. Then, I explore in more detail two distinct but related topics to which I want to make a particular contribution:• Global networks in food provision and their sustainability governance • Sustainable food consumption in a globalized world I use sociological and political science theories to characterise contemporary food provision, and to discuss the governance of food in global modernity both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. Two illustrations will clarify more in detail what kind of projects my research program entails. The first example is on palm oil and the second one on seafood. | Prof.dr Peter J. M. Oosterveer Networks, flows and actors -Promoting sustainability in globalising food provisionBefore concluding with some words of thank I will explain how I intend to combine the analysis of global food provision with that of the everyday practice of food consumption. Characterising contemporary food provisionI use the term 'food provision' to emphasise that we should not only look at farmers or at food production in isolation but at the whole system of supplying food and also include consumers, NGOs, political institutions and environmental regulations.Contemporary food provision is transforming and three core aspects characterising its complex dynamics are guiding my scientific research: globalization, sustainability and equity GlobalisationThe first aspect is globalisation: our food today is global in many respects. Most obvious is the continuous increase in international food trade 1 and, although most food is still consumed in the country where it is produced, many people 2 live in countries that are net-food importing (See Figure 1). Also in the future, global food trade will remain necessary to secure access to food for food-deficit countries and to ensure income for farmers (Fader et al., 2013). The global character of food provision is not only evident in international trade but also in the complex logistics involved in processing (Kjaernes et al., 2005...