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Characterizing alternative food networks in China

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  • Zhenzhong Si
  • Theresa Schumilas
  • Steffanie Scott

Abstract

Amid the many food safety scandals that have erupted in recent years, Chinese food activists and consumers are turning to the creation of alternative food networks (AFNs) to ensure better control over their food. These Chinese AFNs have not been documented in the growing literature on food studies. Based on in-depth interviews and case studies, this paper documents and develops a typology of AFNs in China, including community supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, buying clubs, and recreational garden plot rentals. We unpacked the four standard dimensions of alternativeness of AFNs into eight elements and used these to examine the alternativeness of AFNs in China. We argue first that the landscape of alternativeness varies among different networks but the healthfulness of food is the most prominent element. Second, there is an inconsistency in values between AFN initiators and customers, which contributes to the uneven alternativeness of Chinese AFNs. Third, Chinese AFNs are strongly consumer driven, a factor that constrains their alternativeness at present. The inclusion of “real” peasants in the construction of AFNs in China is minimal. This paper adds to the existing literature on AFNs with an analysis of recent initiatives in China that have not been well documented before. By unpacking the dimensions of alternativeness into specific elements, this paper also provides an analytical framework for examining the alternativeness of AFNs especially nascent ones that have not developed a full spectrum of alternativeness. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Zhenzhong Si & Theresa Schumilas & Steffanie Scott, 2015. "Characterizing alternative food networks in China," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 299-313, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:32:y:2015:i:2:p:299-313
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-014-9530-6
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    7. Čajka, Adam & Novotný, Josef, 2022. "Let us expand this Western project by admitting diversity and enhancing rigor: A systematic review of empirical research on alternative economies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    8. Leigh Martindale, 2021. "‘I will know it when I taste it’: trust, food materialities and social media in Chinese alternative food networks," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(2), pages 365-380, June.
    9. Mirka Erler & Christoph Dittrich, 2020. "Middle Class, Tradition and the Desi-Realm—Discourses of Alternative Food Networks in Bengaluru, India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-15, March.
    10. Blare, Trent & Donovan, Jason, 2021. "Challenges to ‘Going Local’: Lessons from Direct Food Sourcing Initiatives in Cusco, Peru," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315388, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Yongfeng Tan & Apurbo Sarkar & Airin Rahman & Lu Qian & Waqar Hussain Memon & Zharkyn Magzhan, 2021. "Does External Shock Influence Farmer’s Adoption of Modern Irrigation Technology?—A Case of Gansu Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.
    12. Hok Bun Ku & Karita Kan, 2020. "Social work and sustainable rural development: The practice of social economy in China," International Journal of Social Welfare, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 346-355, October.
    13. Ronaldo Tavares Souza, 2020. "Box-scheme as alternative food network—the economic integration between consumers and producers," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-25, December.
    14. Pingyang Liu & Paul Gilchrist & Becky Taylor & Neil Ravenscroft, 2017. "The spaces and times of community farming," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(2), pages 363-375, June.
    15. Hera Laxmi Devi Septiani & Ujang Sumarwan & Lilik Noor Yuliati & Kirbrandoko Kirbrandoko, 2020. "Understanding the Factors Driving Farmers to Adopt Peer-to-Peer Lending Sharing Economy," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 10(6), pages 13-21.
    16. Si Tan & Weiping Chen, 2019. "Can members’ WeChat engagement affect relational outcomes in community‐supported agriculture? Empirical evidence from China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(1), pages 36-52, January.
    17. Kees Krul & Peter Ho, 2017. "Alternative Approaches to Food: Community Supported Agriculture in Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-16, May.
    18. Isabel Miralles & Domenico Dentoni & Stefano Pascucci, 2017. "Understanding the organization of sharing economy in agri-food systems: evidence from alternative food networks in Valencia," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(4), pages 833-854, December.
    19. Marshall, Fiona & Dolley, Jonathan, 2019. "Transformative innovation in peri-urban Asia," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 983-992.

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