1236 | 944 | Food Sovereignty and New Models of Production and Consumption from Urban Social Movements

Over the past century, the global food system has undergone a profound transformation due to processes of industrialization and globalization. Food production, distribution, and consumption have been restructured, turning food into commodities traded on a transnational scale, which are vulnerable to crises (W.H. Friedland, Buttel, Busch, & P. Rudy, 1991)._x000D_
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These changes in food patterns have significant impacts on both the environment and society. For instance, the production and distribution of «food products» (González de Molina et al., 2018) heavily rely on fossil fuels, contributing to environmental issues such as climate change. The increasing consumption of meat and the expansion of intensive livestock farming further exacerbate these environmental challenges. Moreover, changing dietary patterns, with a shift towards processed foods and a higher intake of daily calories per capita (González et al., 2018), combined with a decline in diets based on fresh, local, and seasonal foods, as well as sedentary lifestyles, have led to a dramatic rise in obesity and overweight rates globally (FAO, 2019)._x000D_
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In response to these global challenges, there has been a growing social and political movement advocating for alternative approaches to the dominant agri-food system. _x000D_
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Citizens are demanding a shift towards more sustainable and localized food systems that prioritize social and environmental justice. Many citizen-led movements have emerged, promoting and implementing local models of production and consumption, such as agroecological methods in agriculture, support for family farming, critical consumption, short supply chains, farmer’s markets, cooperative supermarkets, and ecological canteens. These initiatives aim to reconnect consumers with the source of their food, promote sustainable farming practices, support local economies and foster community engagement.

Miriam Ariño Asensi
PhD Researcher at the University of Barcelona
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