Unsustainable food production and consumption patterns are threatening our living environment and our lives on earth. There is a need for profound transition in our ways to produce and consume food. Food, its production and consumption is a hot topic currently – as can be seen in media and in several projects run by various institutions. Circular economy and sustainable resource management address different actors as well. The City of Lahti joined the FISU-network and is taking steps towards sustainable resource management. This thesis contributes to the ongoing work of the City of Lahti in developing its food sustainability strategic work through its participation in the FISU-network. The study aims to investigate the state of the regional food supply chain of Lahti, Finland, and its path on sustainability transition. Further on, it examines how alternative food networks may impact different aspects of sustainable local development and what kind of a role actors of regional food supply chain play in promoting food sustainability. This study applied a case study approach and used qualitative research methods in the forms of workshop and semi-structured interviews. The results were examined applying the theoretical framework which included Activity theory, Co-Creation and Economy of Common Good. There are various policies and strategies on global, national and regional level aiming to sustain the food system, food production and consumption, as well as promoting the use of local food. Few of them were used to reveal the present state of the regional food supply chain together with the results gained at the workshop and interviews to find the desired way. Alternative food networks may shorten the food supply chain and allow everyone a chance to contribute to local food sustainability. They may have social meaning by bringing the food supply chain actors together and offering more value than purchasing goods. Consumers can act as co-creators having possibility to influence what is produced, where and how. Alternative food networks may not necessarily be ecological, but they may have wider implications for the regional and local communities on economic, social and cultural levels by offering jobs, interaction, as well as giving a face and a story to the food.

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Vermont is widely-regarded as a hub for artisan cheese production, with more cheesemakers per capita than any other US state. Despite significant local and statewide support, out-of-state markets are essential to the long-term success of these small-scale producers. In spatially extended supply chains, retailers occupy a pivotal position. This thesis aims to examine the intermediary role of retailers in building social networks between producers and consumers. Consumers appreciate Vermont artisan cheese, in part, because it is embedded in a complex network of social values and relations related to where and how it is produced. Guided by social theories of consumption, sensory experience, and exchange, a transdisciplinary, mixed-methods study was conducted in order to better understand cheese retailers' role in this network. First, participant observation and ethnographic interviews at a specialty cheese shop demonstrated how highly specialized cheese retail professionals (known as a cheesemongers) communicate social information about Vermont artisan cheese to consumers in practice. Specialized narratives are transmitted to consumers through in-store signage and social interactions. These stories also involve the cheesemonger as traveler, developing specialized knowledge of Vermont artisan cheese by traveling to the place of production. A second site of participant observation at a national conference for artisan cheese professionals added breadth to the study. While cheesemongers appear to agree that a certain level of intrinsic quality is necessary for consumer acceptance and preference, many also see the importance of, and derive pleasure from, knowing and conveying the social story, and perceive this to be an important part of their professional role and identity. Second, social network analysis provided a broader examination of relationships between Vermont artisan cheesemakers and retailers in the region. In order to collect data on these relationships, an online survey was distributed to Vermont artisan cheesemakers and follow-up phone calls were conducted. A combination of statistical and network analyses was used to visualize the social structure of the network, identify key actors, and examine qualities of the relationships. The findings suggest that the social network for Vermont artisan cheese is a multiplex system, in which a cheesemaker's relative position in the network is the result of a complex balance--and sometimes compromise--between a cheesemaker's needs, goals, and desires and their various retailers' needs, goals, and desires. Moreover, geographic proximity, time, experience, convenience, cost, history, loyalty, and regard all appear to be important factors in the type of relationship cheesemakers have with retailers, and whether a relationship is established at all.

Masters of Art research report prepared for the Department of Development Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2017 / The current food system is contributing to the food insecurity of the urban poor. Local food systems and other food system alternatives benefit the urban poor in all four spheres in which the corporate food regime disadvantages them: accessibility, empowerment, sustainability and health. This research maps the overlap of poverty and types of agriculture in the City of Johannesburg to locate potential for urban farms to serve and benefit the urban poor. There are many areas where potential for food system alternatives is high, especially where smaller scale farms are growing vegetables in areas where there are many and mostly poor households concentrated over space. By engaging with farmers, from study areas in the City which meet at least some of these conditions, the research not only confirms that the potential identified in these areas is being realised and exceeded but suggests that the potential has been underestimated for all of the other areas of the municipality in which urban agriculture coexists with the urban poor. The combinations and variations of food system alternatives chosen by farmers, in the foodstuffs produced, nature of production and modes and channels of distribution, are evidence of the reciprocal influence of structure and their own agency. By reframing urban agriculture to recognize the diverse opportunities for farmers to do things differently, we can see that many are choosing to do so, and are thus making sustainably produced, healthy fresh produce locally available to the urban poor in ways that are accessible and empowering. / XL2018

En el presente proyecto de investigación se utilizan datos de la Cadena de suministro (SC) recopilados durante las actividades de distribución y transporte de café orgánico. El propósito de esta investigación es analizar diferentes formas en que se adoptan las soluciones de cadena de cultivo en la región de Junín, Perú. La desintegración del SC es evidente, ya que cada miembro cooperativo trabaja descoordinadamente por su cuenta, lo que lleva a diferentes estándares de resultados con altos costos y bajos rendimientos. El estudio se centró en diferentes entidades, desde los agricultores hasta el puerto de Callao, de una cadena de suministro de café orgánico donde la desintegración es constante. El artículo describe una cadena de suministro desalineada que incluye una colaboración deficiente. Todos los problemas encontrados serán una oportunidad para desarrollar un modelo de distribución en la cadena de suministro de café orgánico de la región de Junín. / This research uses Supply Chain (SC) data gathered during the distribution and transportation activities of organic coffee. The purpose of this research is to analyze different ways in which crop-chain solutions are adopted in the region of Junín, Peru. The disintegration of the SC is revealed, as each cooperative member works uncoordinatedly on his own leading to different results standards with high costs and low returns. The study focused on different entities from farmers to the port of Callao of an organic coffee supply chain where disintegration is constant. The paper describes a misaligned supply chain including poorly collaboration. All problems found will be an opportunity to develop a distribution model in the organic coffee supply chain of Junín region. / Tesis

Problem: Food waste is a major issue from both an environmental as well as an economic perspective. In Europe alone, 90 million tons of food is wasted in the food supply chain every year. In order to reduce these excessive costs and the environmental impact, new food waste management strategies need to be developed and established. The food waste management strategies established in the retail stage are limited as the retail stage is an area of the food supply chain that has been neglected in research.   Purpose: This thesis explores the food waste management of fresh fruits and vegetables out of retailer´s perspective. In specific, it assesses the potential effects for Swedish supermarkets in which have established processes where non-sellable products are recycled through conversion in-house.   Method: This qualitative study has been performed through observational studies with semi-structured interviews to complement the observational findings. The empirical data is collected at Swedish supermarkets that have conversion processes established in their organization. The respondents were either store managers or managers for perishable goods. The data were analysed using the content analysis approach.   Findings: The results of our research reveal that conversion activities of fresh fruits and vegetables result in less food waste and positive economic outcomes. To create higher economic value of the food waste conversion, the conversion of fresh fruits and vegetables should be performed in combination with other product categories.

O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a alimentação de rua na cidade de São Paulo no período entre 1828 e 1900. Quando falamos de alimentação de rua, estamos nos referindo de modo geral às variadas formas de comer fora de casa (restaurantes, cafés, confeitarias, botequins, etc.). Mas o foco principal é a alimentação consumida na própria rua, que tem o tabuleiro das quitandeiras (e posteriormente os vendedores ambulantes) como o principal foco dessa atividade. Nosso intuito é compreender as relações entre a comida de rua e a própria cidade em um momento de intensas transformações sócio-espaciais. / The aim of this paper is to discuss the street food in the city of Sao Paulo in the period between 1828 and 1900. When we talk about street food, we are referring generally to many forms of eating outside the home (restaurants, cafes, confectionery, botequins, etc.). But the main focus is the food consumed in the street, which has a board of greengrocer (and later the street vendors) as the main focus of this activity. Our purpose is to understand the relationship between street food and city in a time of intense socio-spatial processing.

O agronegócio expressa-se de múltiplas formas e tem repercussões nos sistemas alimentares e no comportamento das populações locais e globais. As estimativas sugerem que o Brasil se tornará o maior produtor mundial de alimentos nas próximas décadas. Assim, cumpre-se examinar as commodities agrícolas brasileiras e analisar as diferentes mudanças temporais e geográficas relacionadas à produção e ao consumo de alimentos no país. Com vistas a apresentar uma investigação científica que contribua para a construção do conhecimento da dinâmica da produção e do consumo de alimentos no Brasil, esta tese inclui pesquisas interdisciplinares que fornecem análises complementares para o tema proposto. O objetivo principal deste estudo é composto por dois aspectos que envolvem os sistemas agroalimentares e as suas dinâmicas. O primeiro refere-se à produção de alimentos no Brasil – especificamente como as diferentes expressões do agronegócio na produção agrícola e pecuária evoluíram – enquanto o segundo aspecto analisa como a população brasileira mudou seus padrões alimentares. Assim, a tese examina a participação da região do Centro-Oeste brasileiro na alteração da distribuição da produção agrícola brasileira. Os movimentos dos pontos médios geográficos dos principais produtos agrícolas brasileiros, ocorridos entre 1990 e 2015, parecem corresponder às mudanças geográficas ocorridas na produção agrícola e no uso da terra desta região durante o período analisado. Esta pesquisa também apresenta as mudanças geográficas relacionadas ao agronegócio brasileiro e discute como elas se refletem nos padrões alimentares de sua população, assim como na heterogeneidade da aquisição de alimentos entre os estados brasileiros. A relação entre o agronegócio e a sustentabilidade é necessária para melhorar a produção e a acessibilidade aos alimentos e preservar os recursos naturais. Nesse sentido, são necessários novos modelos de consumo e cadeias sustentáveis de suprimentos de alimentos para mitigar este problema. A análise fenomenológica realizada neste trabalho pode oferecer uma visão do agronegócio às partes interessadas, no que diz respeito ao panorama dos principais produtos que podem impulsionar o desenvolvimento sustentável da agricultura brasileira.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

As cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar tornaram-se formas alternativas de produção, comercialização e consumo de alimentos, redefiniram as relações e as interações com os espaços sociais e com o ambiente institucional, criando novas ligações entre os produtores e os consumidores. Também permitiram ao consumidor fazer novos juízos de valor com base no seu próprio conhecimento e experiência, fazendo com que, além das diferenças intrínsecas e funcionais do alimento, como sabor, nutrição e saúde, as características externas como a saúde pública, meio ambiente, ética e justiça social se tornassem critérios de avaliação, competição e características de qualidade. Em breve pesquisa bibliométrica, observou-se que os estudos sobre as cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar abrangeram uma variedade de temas, como por exemplo, desenvolvimento rural, geografia econômica, sustentabilidade e segurança alimentar, além de temas mais atuais, como agricultura urbana e comportamento do consumidor. Ou seja, observou-se uma mudança no foco analítico visto que os estudos passam a considerar as práticas de consumo alimentar como pontos centrais de análise. No entanto, considerando o aumento das preocupações com a natureza da colaboração e do conflito entre os atores envolvidos, esta tese buscou na abordagem da cocriação de valor uma forma de estudar e analisar essas relações nos três tipos de cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar. Abordando uma realidade na qual o consumidor deixou de ser um ator passivo e passou a ter papel de fundamental importância no mercado, a cocriação de valor tem ganhado um espaço cada vez maior na literatura empresarial, porém, como esta tese irá demonstrar, ainda não foi aplicada em cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar, revelando o caráter inédito deste estudo e uma oportunidade de pesquisa valiosa. Baseando-se nos estudos de Prahalad e Ramaswamy e Vargo e Lusch, assume-se que a cocriação de valor ocorre no mercado e no momento de uso de um produto ou serviço, pressupondo a existência de um novo contexto, no qual o valor está na experiência e não mais no produto em si, ou seja, ela ocorre quando o consumidor e a empresa estão intimamente envolvidos em, conjuntamente, criar o valor, que é único para o consumidor individual e para a sustentabilidade da empresa. Sendo assim, partindo dessas premissas e baseando-se nos elementos descritos pelos autores como fundamentais para se caracterizar uma relação cogeradora de valor − diálogo, acesso, risco e transparência (DART) − esta tese procura responder à seguinte pergunta de pesquisa: Existe cocriação de valor nos diferentes tipos de cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar? Para tanto, realizou-se 04 estudos de caso em diferentes regiões do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, abrangendo a tipificação de cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar descrita por Renting et al. (2003). Revisão integrativa de literatura, entrevistas on-line e pessoais, assim como observação direta foram as ferramentas escolhidas para o levantamento dos dados secundários. Os resultados revelaram que não há evidências de cocriação de valor em todas as cadeias curtas de abastecimento alimentar estudadas, ressaltando que as mesmas possuem especificidades importantes que precisam ser consideradas quando se analisam as relações entre os atores envolvidos. / Short food supply chains have become an alternative way of producing, selling, and consuming food, and redefined relations and interactions with social spaces and with the institutional environment, creating new connections between producers and consumers. They have also allowed the consumer to have new value judgements based on their own knowledge and experience, allowing, besides the intrinsic and functional differences of the food, such as flavor, nutrients and health, external characteristics, such as public health, environment, ethics, and social justice to become criteria for evaluation, competition and characteristics of quality. Through a brief bibliometric research, it was observed that studies about short food supply chains have covered a broad range of topics such as rural development, economic geography, sustainability, and food safety, and more current topics such as urban agriculture and consumer behavior. That is, there was a change in the analytical focus, and studies began considering food consumption practices as central points for analysis. However, considering the increase in the worries about the nature of the collaboration, and the conflict between the parts involved, this thesis tried, through the co-creation of value approach, a way to study and analyze these relations in the three kinds of short food supply chain. Approaching a reality in which the consumer went from a passive role to playing a fundamental part in the market, co-creation of value has been gaining more space in the business literature, but, as this thesis will show, still has not been applied to short food supply chains, then revealing the unprecedented character of this study, and a valuable research opportunity. Based on Prahalad and Ramaswamy and Vargo and Lusch, it is assumed that co-creation of value occurs in the market and in the moment the product or service is being used, presupposing the existence of a new context in which the value is in the experience, and not anymore in the product itself, which means it occurs when the consumer and the company are intimately involved in, together, creating a value that is unique for the individual consumer and for the sustainability of the company. So, starting from these premises and based on the elements described by the authors as fundamental to characterize a relation that co-generates value – the dialogue, access, risk and transparency (DART) – this thesis tries to answer the following research question: is there co-creation of value in the different kinds of short food supply chains? For that, four case studies were made in different regions of the Rio Grande do Sul state, covering the classification of short food supply chains described by Renting et al. (2003). Integrative review of the literature, online and personal interviews, as well as direct observation, were the tools chosen for secondary data collection. The results showed that there is no evidence of value creation in all the short supply chains studied, emphasizing that they have important specificities that should be considered when analyzing the relationships among the actors involved.