Peri-urban agriculture and food platformisation: Opportunities and challenges

Abstract

This paper offers a theoretical contribution by outlining both the opportunities and the challenges of food platformisation for peri-urban agriculture. The growing platformisation of the food sector is drastically transforming how food is produced, distributed, and consumed at the local level. Such transformations also impact agricultural practices in peri-urban areas. Specifically, they influence planning decisions related to urban sprawl, land consumption and environmental challenges, with a focus on sustainable practices. They also create several risks, including the marginalisation of small producers, the concentration of power in the hands of a small number of actors, and the homogenisation of agricultural practices.

Following a critical analysis of the current literature, the paper lists the possible effects of these changes and discusses potential pathways for addressing them with a series of suggestions. Its conclusions reorient the debate towards possible avenues to ensure that peri-urban agriculture can thrive in the era of platformisation and contribute to the transition towards a more equitable and resilient food system. They also outline the possible upward trajectory of food platformisation, recognising the consumer-centric opportunities it generates while also underscoring its consequential impacts on logistical operations and territorial planning decisions.