Résultat de la recherche
Constraint and autonomy in the Swiss “local contract farming” movement
In Switzerland, Local Contract Farming (LCF) initiatives regroup food producers and consumers in networks very similar to what is called elsewhere, for instance, Community Supported Agriculture. Drawing on an ethnography of three examples of LCF networks, we focus on two elements: the contract that translates and formalizes their “promise of difference” (Le Velly 2017) by reinforcing the producers’ autonomy from market-based dependencies, through a long-term commitment on the part of the consumers; and the food, whose quality and value are redefined and that acts as a mediator in the redefinition of the producer-consumer relationship. By means of these empirical investigations we look at these ventures as particular collections of human and non-human actors that “open up spaces in which to enact a politics of possibility” (Harris 2009: 58). We will pay particular attention to the process of autonomisation, as a form of empowerment, that is brought about by participation in LCF. By acknowledging both the potential for transformation of LCF ventures and their clear limitations, this chapter aims to nurture academic and public discussions that develop beyond statements of success or failure, where limitations and imperfections do not make hope of positive transformation of food systems impossible.
Introducing ‘seeds of change’ into the food system? Localisation strategies in the Swiss dairy industry
The Swiss dairy-farming sector faces challenging times after the removal of milk quotas. In this context, several cooperative/federative structures have developed new strategies to improve the situation of dairy farmers. Local products play an important role in these strategies. Based on ethnographic work, this paper looks at the social construction and negotiation of ‘the local’ within three specific case studies. First, we show what diverging geographical and moral definitions of ‘the local’ emerge from the development of these localised food networks. Then we look at how the various moralities of ‘the local’ in turn contribute to the transformation of the actor’s position within the broader food system. Finally, we argue that apparently narrow economic strategies of food might open new paths for more transformative developments based on alternative values such as regional development, solidarity and identity.
Farmer autonomy and the farming self. Journal of Rural Studies
Drawing on interviews in Switzerland and New Zealand, we explore the concept of autonomy as part of a farming self. The farming self encompasses the dialectical relationship of autonomy as both value and tool that help us understand farmers within a wider set of economic, environmental and interpersonal relations. Farmers describe autonomy as a value in three related but slightly different ways. First, autonomy invokes a particular lifestyle connected to farming. Second, autonomy is understood as the equivalent of being one's own boss. Third, farmers describe autonomy negatively by enumerating the constraints that limit the first two iterations of autonomy in their farming operations. Beyond the value of autonomy for farmer identity, the farming self captures autonomy as a tool: a tool of identification, a tool to mitigate, navigate and translate the experiences of being a farmer in a wider network of agricultural relations.