Food Resistance Movements : Journeying Through Alternative Food Networks

This book examines food resistance movements as a form of alternative food network, charting the author’s journey as a cultural anthropologist through three food resistance movements. In Australia, freegans’ consumption of ‘garbage’ in the food waste movement of the early 2000s reveals the extent of food going to waste from commercial sources while people go hungry. In contrast, Venezuela’s food sovereignty movement is part of a national transition from a capitalist to socialist economy, highlighting processes of decentralisation, collectivisation, and government-grassroots’ coalitions. The study of autonomous spaces in Catalonia illuminates how food sharing can enable people to live their politics, as well as the centrality of issues around urban governance, consumption, technology and use of space to food resistance efforts. This engaging volume brings an important and engaging contribution to current discussions around the transition to just and sustainable food systems. Series Editor Foreword 7 Acknowledgements 9 Praise for Food Resistance Movements 11 Contents 13 About the Author 16 Abbreviations 17 List of Figures 18 List of Tables 19 Chapter 1: Introducing Food Resistance Movements 20 Alternative Food Networks 23 Trajectory 1: AFNs from Europe 24 Trajectory 2: AFNs from North America 24 Trajectory 3: AFNs in the Global South 30 Trajectory 4: Social Welfare AFNs 32 Why Cities? 36 Case Studies in Australia, Venezuela and Catalonia 37 Ethnographies of Food Resistance Movements 38 The Book Structure 40 Conclusion 41 References 41 Chapter 2: Food Waste Activism in Australia 47 The Problem of Overconsumption and Food ‘Waste’ 47 My Radical Beginnings in the Bin 49 The Ethics of Sourcing and Eating ‘Garbage’ 51 Associated Freegan Subcultures 52 Where Do Freegans ‘Shop’? 54 What’s on the Freegan Menu? 56 The Politics of FNB Serving Sites 57 Is Eating ‘Garbage’ Safe? 58 Is It Legal? 60 Constructing a Freegan Identity 61 Conclusion 64 References 64 Chapter 3: The Food Sovereignty Movement in Venezuela 67 A Brief History of Venezuelan Politics, Dutch Disease and Agriculture 68 So Enters Chávez 69 In the Field 72 Venezuelan Gastronomy and Food Pathways 74 Indigenous and Traditional Food Pathways 74 The Commercial Pathway 76 The Informal Sector 76 Independent Alternative Food Pathways 77 The Venezuelan Food Sovereignty Movement 78 Rural and Urban Land Reform 78 Urban Productive Programmes 80 Distribution: Subsidised, Regulated and Free Food for All 85 Subsidised and Regulated Supermarket Chains 85 A Blockage in the Food Chain? 87 Subsidised Eateries 89 Free Food 90 Dietary Outcomes 91 Environmental Outcomes 93 Chávez’s Final Years 96 Conclusion 96 References 98 Chapter 4: Autonomous Food Spaces in Catalonia 101 A Catalan Culture of Resistance and Protest 103 Internal Governance Processes of Autonomous Food Spaces 109 Can Masdeu 110 L’Aixada 111 La Xarca D’Aliments 112 Governing ‘Openness’ to Sustain Resistance 114 Sharing Physical and Virtual Space 115 Membership 119 Sustaining Autonomous Spaces Through Food Sharing 120 Beyond Ethical Consumption at L’Aixada 120 Anti-consumerism at La Xarxa 122 Degrowth at Can Masdeu 123 Conclusion 125 References 126 Chapter 5: Reflections on Food System Transitions 129 Beyond Awareness Raising and Behaviour Change 131 Institutionalisation: A Pathway for Integrating AFNs into Policy and Planning 134 Maintenance and Care: Deepening and Sustaining Engagement in AFNs 138 Failure 141 Technological Innovation 143 The Commercialisation of AFNs 146 A Food Sharing Ecosystem: Diversification, Hybridisation and Replication of AFNs 147 Diversification and Hybridisation 149 Replication 152 Translocal Food Movements 154 Food Resistance Movements from Global South to North 156 Conclusion 157 References 158 Chapter 6: Future Directions for Food Resistance Movements 165 Conclusion 169 References 170 Index 171 "This book examines food resistance movements as a form of alternative food network, charting the author's journey as a cultural anthropologist through three food resistance movements.In Australia, freegans'consumption of 'garbage'in the food waste movement of the early 2000s reveals the extent of food going to waste from commercial sources while people go hungry. In contrast, Venezuela's food sovereignty movement is part of a national transition from a capitalist to socialist economy, highlighting processes of decentralisation, collectivisation, and government-grassroots'coalitions. The study of autonomous spaces in Catalonia illuminates how food sharing can enable people to live their politics, as well as the centrality of issues around urban governance, consumption, technology and use of space to food resistance efforts. This engaging volume brings an important and engaging contribution to current discussions around the transition to just and sustainable food systems."--EBSCOhost website This book charts the author's journey as a cultural anthropologist through food resistance movements over two decades, in Catalonia (Spain), Australia and Venezuela. It brings important lessons from the field to current discussions on transitioning to just and sustainable food systems. In Australia, freegans' consumption of 'garbage' reveals the extent of food going to waste from commercial sources while people go hungry. In contrast, Venezuela's food sovereignty movement is part of an attempted national transition from a capitalist to socialist economy, highlighting processes of decentralisation, collectivisation, and government grassroots' coalitions. The study of autonomous spaces in Catalonia illuminates how food sharing can enable people to live their politics, while highlighting governance, consumption, technology and use of space in food resistance efforts.