In a recent study published in JASFC, Margriet Goris, Daphne Schoop, Dirk Roep, and Jan Hassink explore the growing movement of values-based territorial food networks (VTFNs) in the Netherlands. These networks seek to transform conventional food systems by fostering stronger connections between farmers, citizens, and natural resources.

Abstract
In the past decade, there has been a surge in the Netherlands in food initiatives that seek to trans­form the prevailing agro-industrial model of food provisioning. This has evolved into a wide range of values-based territorial food networks (VTFNs). This article aims to understand the evolving diver­sity in VTFNs by looking more deeply into how community, circular, and territorial-based food net­works operate. In doing so, the article examines how citizens, rural workers, and farmers cooperate to change and create connections between live­stock, land, water, and other resources. Further­more, it aims to assess to what extent the evolving food provisioning practices of these VTFNs are re-embedded in the territory, how their collective capacity to transform food provisioning practices has expanded, and the impact that the expanded capacity has on the degree of relational autonomy over their operations. Twelve participatory obser­vations and 16 interviews with farmers and citizens engaged in three different VTFNs are analyzed by identifying themes that emerged from the data, and themes that originate from the concept relational autonomy. Relational autonomy is introduced by feminist scholars and entails that autonomy is not an individual matter but is created in relationships. The concept allows for a deeper understanding of how a transformation of relations can raise the autonomy of all living beings, both human and non-human. The analysis demonstrates how rela­tional autonomy in the three VTFNs studied is emerging along the three interdependent and co-evolving dimensions identified by Catriona Mackenzie (2019): determination, governance, and authorization. All three VTFNs studied crafted their own pathway toward relational autonomy by creating opportunities and building capacities. A relational autonomy lens enables us to articulate the interconnectedness between human and non-human systems; for example, phasing out agro­chemicals increases our reliance on natural pro­cesses. This necessitates farmers and rural workers’ ability to mimic these processes and requires a rear­ranging of market relations to share risks more equitably with citizens.

https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1341

Happy to share the publication of a recent article in Sociologia Ruralis, “Agroecology for migrant ‘emplacement’ in the left-behind European countryside” by Simone Cappati and Alberto Alonso-Fradejas. In this work, they explore the intersection of the green and demographic transitions in the European Union, focusing on the role of agroecology in the settlement and socioeconomic integration of diverse newcomers in Italy’s ageing and marginalised rural areas.

The article analyzes the challenges and opportunities faced by both Italian city-dwellers-turned-agroecological farmers and non-EU agroecological farmworkers in these communities. Through the lens of agroecological initiatives supported by municipalities and NGOs, they investigate how these efforts contribute to the EU Green Deal while offering newcomers a chance to participate in sustainable rural (re)development. Their findings suggest that agroecology has the potential to foster ’emplacement’ by facilitating everyday interactions between long-time residents and newcomers, though they also highlight potential issues of injustice that may arise from exploitative labor practices.

Read the full article here.

Luister naar de nieuwste aflevering van de podcast De Sociologie Show met Bettina Bock. De voorlaatste verkiezingen leken met de winst van de BBB gedomineerd door gevoelens van miskenning in de regio’s en dorpen. Is dat gevoel sinds een jaar – en de blijvende verschrompeling van de BBB – soms verdwenen?

Bettina Bock, in Wageningen hoogleraar inclusieve plattelandsontwikkeling en in Groningen bijzonder hoogleraar bevolkingsdaling en leefbaarheid in noord Nederland, heeft daar zicht op. Hoe zit het met de gevoelens van miskenning buiten de stad? En zijn de zorgzame gemeenschappen die nu op veel plekken wortel schieten een bron van trots?

Presentatie door Tara Lewis (journalist) en Marcel Ham (hoofdredacteur van Tijdschrift voor Sociale Vraagstukken).

Luister de podcast hier.

The complexity of food production and consumption in the Netherlands is deeply intertwined with international dynamics, requiring new approaches to sustainability. In this new publication, ten essays explore how global interconnections influence the ability of governments to shape policies and drive societal change within the Dutch food system.

Our colleagues Bettina Bock and Han Wiskerke contributed an essay, “Food from Near and Far: Shifting Relationships in the Food Chain.” They explore how agriculture has evolved since WWII, marked by modernization, globalization, and the rise of local food initiatives. These shifts not only affect nature and landscapes but also challenge how we balance efficiency, sustainability, and social cohesion.

You can download and read the publication here (available in Dutch only).