Review of agricultural, food and environmental studies最新文献

This paper critically analyses the complexity of the land grabbing phenomenon in Argentina. We study land grabbing processes linked to the expansion of agribusiness by focusing on corporate regionally extended land grabbers' strategies through five dimensions: (1) forms of control over land (and other resources) are not restricted to the formal acquisition of property, (2) the role of both national and foreign actors are essential in land grabbing dynamics, (3) land grabbing is not expressed exclusively by the scale of the area traded, (4) the current cycle of land grabbing is part of the convergence of multiple crises and (5) forms of political action are complex and involve diverse positioning. We conclude that land grabbing mechanisms unfold differently depending on the diversity of socio-spatial formations they encounter in each territory and that forms of political action "from below" are complex and not restricted to overt conflict.

Demand for local and organic food has increased rapidly in Finland in the past two decades, as also have the wide variety of alternative food networks and food cooperatives (e.g. food-buying groups or food circles). However, the operating environment of traditional food-buying groups, aka food circles (ruokapiiri), has been experiencing changes as well. The supply of local and organic food in grocery stores has improved and new types of social media-based buying groups (REKO rings) have formed. This paper examines and evaluates the characteristics and stability of food circles in the Northern Ostrobothnia region in Finland by studying their structure and changes in their status over a 5-year period and reviewing their similarities and differences to REKO rings. An electronic survey and seven semi-structured interviews were implemented during the years 2013 and 2014. In addition, the status of the food circles was investigated in 2019 via email or phone, and REKO rings were studied through the literature. Food circles were usually seen as a functional way to purchase local and organic foodstuffs. Some members valued the high degree of traceability of shipments and face-to-face encounters with producers; for others, the primary motivation was overcoming issues of access and affordability. However, only two of the seven food circles interviewed were still operating in 2019. In addition, their level of activity had slowed down or transformed. Although most of the food circles were established by active consumers with more than just the intention to make local and organic food more available, it seemed that later on in operation most of the side activities faded and the groups failed to engage suitable people in the activity. Probably the most important difference between traditional food circles and modern REKO rings is the need to volunteer. In addition, social media-based REKO rings are better known on a mainstream level. On the other hand, our findings may indicate that while food-buying groups, as a form of alternative food networks, are a relatively new phenomenon in Finland, they might just be still applying their format.

By relying on the case of São Paulo, this article seeks to develop a critical look at urban farming and its potential for contributing to food justice. While this activity constitutes a means of subsistence for urban communities, it is also underlain by principles relating to land ownership, which tend to divert attention from its primary role in food systems. There is an important need first to fight against land inequalities and bad housing in São Paulo, before considering urban farming as a lever for food justice. For this study, I made use of qualitative surveys carried out between 2018 and 2022 in São Paulo, during which I conducted 118 interviews with farmers, consumers, shopkeepers, associations and politico-administrative institutions. My results show at first a socio-economic dichotomy between well-off city dwellers who use community gardens and farmers who practise urban farming on the margins of the city. I maintain that the issue of food justice affects the latter and is filtered through a policy of institutional action and visibility. In conclusion, I argue that urban farming is a potential lever for food justice which is still highly constrained by inequalities and land speculation in São Paulo.