Narratives and conceptual models behind the construction of sustainable agri-food systems: agriculture as a complex system
- Autores: Marta G. Rivera Ferré
- Directores de la Tesis: Josep Espluga Trenc (dir. tes.), Miquel Ortega Cerdà (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ( España ) en 2018
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Colin R. Anderson (presid.), Antoni F. Tulla i Pujol (secret.), David Gallar Hernández (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Sociología por la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona
- Materias:
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- Resumen
In order to justify why new frames and ways of thinking about agri-food system are needed, I describe the main social and environmental problems created by current agri-food systems and the role of science in addressing agri-food related challenges. Among the severe social and environmental impacts associated to agri-food systems we can highlight contamination of soils and water, biodiversity losses, climate change, malnutrition (both under and overconsumption), health problems and poverty. These impacts are the result of three main disconnections among the different food systems components, actors and institutions. Detected disconnections include disconnections between agriculture and the environment, between consumers and farmers, and between policies and the consequences of such policies. To address such disconnections in this work I propose a conceptual model to describe the interrelationships between science (assessment), policies (management) and practices in agri-food systems, and propose rules for managing agri-food systems as complex socioecological systems. In this sense, it is important to be aware of the role science plays in our knowledge society in the assessment of food systems in providing “evidences" to policymakers to develop policies capable to address associated impacts of food systems. However, neither science nor policies are isolated from their social context and in developing sustainable food systems different discourses coexist which imply different approaches to study agri-food systems as well as different policies to address food systems problems. In this work, after some theoretical discussion based on the sociology and philosophy of science, through documentary analysis, lexicometric analysis and participant observation, I show the existence of different narratives and associated mental models in the different components of agri-food systems. In the assessment component, I identify two main narratives based on the case of food security: the orthodox and alternative framings, and show how these different framings derive in different policies to address food security. In the practices component, we identify for the Spanish food chain, that five different narratives exist in the understanding the food chain performance (commodity, access to food, quality of food, livelihood and environmental narrative), and these different narratives result in different forms of assessment (indicators) of food chain performance. Thus, each narrative has different indicators associated to measure the food chain performance. Finally, in the management component, I have analysed how different political actors, with different power relations, define and develop different narratives to address agri-food systems’ unsustainability. Taking into account the evolution of the concept of ‘agroecology’, I have analysed how different interpretations and definitions of agroecology are currently used worldwide. I show five different narratives in the understanding and promotion of agroecology: People’s & women Solidarity; Performance; Agricultural development; Ecosystem’s ecological management; Natural resource, climate change & food security. Given the existence of legitimate but completely different narratives co-existing in agri-food systems components, I suggest that the recognition of the agri-food systems as complex ‘socioecological systems’ would favour the concurrence of different scientific disciplines into the assessing processes, including the social sciences. So, important conceptual changes can be derived after recognition of agrifood systems as socio-ecological systems, with implications both at the scientific and policy levels. In assessing agri-food systems the results of this thesis suggest that we need to consider and make explicit all the different narratives behind each assessment, practice or management, since they will give very different results and will put emphasis in very different dimensions of the food system. Identifying the existence of narratives is also relevant in terms of being capable to explain the reality from different perspectives and views. Being able to recognise these different narratives open new spaces of understanding and development of meanings, where the effort is put more in the political implications of the knowledge created. This makes the assessment process not only more transparent but also facilitates the development of policies which are more transversal and that can consider the different existing narratives in a given location/context.
