Abstract:Unsustainable food practices in the global North have brought a lot of attention to the concept of alternative food networks. However, prevailing research perspectives have focused on urban areas or market-related activities and tended to overlook the widespread yet neglected food growing in home gardens, especially in rural areas. This paper uses a mixed method approach to study home gardening in two villages in Czechia, focusing on the state of the art of gardening, its sustainability context, and the percep… Show more
“…We omitted certain cells that had no data (processes at the community, city and region/country scales, and drivers at the city scale) to make the table more readable. 2019), Kirkpatrick & Davison (2018), Schupp & Sharp (2012), Sovová (2015), Sovová et al (2021), Vávra et al (2018a) Role of healthrelated reasons as motivators for FSP Balázs (2018), Jehlička & Smith (2011), Jehlička et al (2013), Colby & Kennedy (2017), Kirkpatrick & Davison, (2018), Vávra et al (2018a), Sovová et al (2021), Šiftová (2021) Smith et al (2015), Sovová (2015), Sovová et al (2021), Vávra et al (2021)…”
The industrial food system is widely considered to be unsustainable due to its undesired climate and negative health effects. One proposed alternative to these problems is a more local system of food provisioning. This means involving individuals, households, and communities in growing and acquiring edibles, like vegetables and other food stuff. This study based on literature review found that food self-provisioning practitioners are mainly driven by health concerns and less by reasoning linked to the environment, like climate change adaptation and mitigation. We propose that the potential of food self-provisioning is underutilized in developing the sustainability of the food system.
“…We omitted certain cells that had no data (processes at the community, city and region/country scales, and drivers at the city scale) to make the table more readable. 2019), Kirkpatrick & Davison (2018), Schupp & Sharp (2012), Sovová (2015), Sovová et al (2021), Vávra et al (2018a) Role of healthrelated reasons as motivators for FSP Balázs (2018), Jehlička & Smith (2011), Jehlička et al (2013), Colby & Kennedy (2017), Kirkpatrick & Davison, (2018), Vávra et al (2018a), Sovová et al (2021), Šiftová (2021) Smith et al (2015), Sovová (2015), Sovová et al (2021), Vávra et al (2021)…”
The industrial food system is widely considered to be unsustainable due to its undesired climate and negative health effects. One proposed alternative to these problems is a more local system of food provisioning. This means involving individuals, households, and communities in growing and acquiring edibles, like vegetables and other food stuff. This study based on literature review found that food self-provisioning practitioners are mainly driven by health concerns and less by reasoning linked to the environment, like climate change adaptation and mitigation. We propose that the potential of food self-provisioning is underutilized in developing the sustainability of the food system.
“…Ries (2009) described a rich and long cultural history established around household potato production, exchange and consumption in Russia. A recent case study from the Czech countryside emphasised the importance of gardening in the (re)construction of local identity (Vávra et al., 2021). In her pioneering ethnographic study of the relationships between the declining health of the population in post‐communist Russia, the quality of food supplied by the capitalist market, and the importance ascribed to homegrown food, Gabriel (2005, p. 204): …witnessed or was involved in innumerable exchanges, especially food exchanges, that could not be explained either by lack of money or by deficits in nearby shops.…”
Section: Four Discourses On Fsp In Ceementioning
confidence: 99%
“…FSP contributes to practitioners’ self‐sufficiency and sensitises them to environmental issues. At the same time, these environmental benefits are closely intertwined with the social and economic aspects of the FSP (Vávra et al., 2021; Sovová et al., 2021)5…”
Section: Four Discourses On Fsp In Ceementioning
confidence: 99%
“…The low use of fossil‐based inputs together with short distances between production and consumption sites lead to reduced CO 2 emissions for homegrown food compared to conventional agriculture (Vávra et al., 2018a). Other benefits include the closing of nutrient cycles and circular waste management through composting (Vávra et al., 2021). FSP contributes to practitioners’ self‐sufficiency and sensitises them to environmental issues.…”
While alternative food networks (AFNs) have become the leading conceptualisation of sustainable food systems, vibrant scholarship on food self‐provisioning (FSP) in Central and Eastern Europe has remained confined to the geopolitical region it investigates. This article brings these two bodies of thought closer together in two steps. First, we trace four framings of FSP deployed over the last three decades—coping strategy, cultural practice, hobby and source of good food and reading FSP as transformative practice—to demonstrate its progressive affinity with AFNs. Second, we follow the most recent framing in highlighting the material reality of local food production as a feature shared by both FSP and AFNs. From this perspective, FSP can be understood as a more radical variant of AFNs given its more substantial environmental and social impact (FSP is more widespread and socially inclusive and less dependent on market transactions). By uncovering the epistemological underpinnings of these different framings of FSP and exploring their implications for food practices on the ground, this article draws general lessons for scholarship aiming to advance food system transformation.
“…a high rate of food self-provisioning, typically not driven by economic factors (Jehlička et al, 2021;Vávra et al, 2021). Furthermore, informal food economies play a significant role (Jehlička et al, 2020;Pinto-Correia et al, 2021).…”
This study describes the development trends of local food-buying clubs (BCs) in Hungary and analyses how this type of grassroots initiative can contribute to the sustainability transition. BC are consumer-driven organizations which aim to connect local food producers with consumers. The study also discusses how the Hungarian implementation differs from other initiatives described in the literature. The empirical analysis employs qualitative techniques, including participant observation, in-depth interviews with three organizers and two external experts, and a survey of 82 BC producers. BCs may be instrumental in facilitating the sustainability transition: on the one hand, they reach a wide range of consumers, and on the other, they are in contact with a multitude of producers, so everything is in place for their successful scaling up, with a particular focus on the maintenance of core values. BCs can thus play an instrumental role in influencing attitudes and fostering community. One of their most significant advantages is that, while they can operate independently of the growth imperatives of the dominant capitalist paradigm, they can also be understood within it. The increase in the number of grassroots initiatives has led to the formation of a meta-organization aimed at generating and sharing knowledge and the joint utilization and development of specific resources, such as information technologies. The variety of organizational forms and operating modes allows the general approach of buying clubs to be tailored to specific micro-contexts. However, there is a potential danger associated with the large proportion of volunteer work. For BCs to be successful over the long term, it is vital that they are self-sufficient in terms of everyday economic activities and that organizers are at least partially compensated for their efforts.
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