Creole Hens and Ranga-Ranga: Campesino Foodways and Biocultural Resource-Based Development in the Central Valley of Tarija, Bolivia

Katherine L. Turner, Iain J. Davidson-Hunt, Annette Aurélie Desmarais and Ian Hudson
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Katherine L. Turner: Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M6, Canada
Iain J. Davidson-Hunt: Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M6, Canada
Annette Aurélie Desmarais: Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty, Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
Ian Hudson: Department of Economics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V5, Canada

Agriculture, 2016, vol. 6, issue 3, 1-33

Abstract: Biocultural heritage-based products, including regional specialty foods, are increasingly part of sustainable rural development strategies. While export-oriented biocultural products are often the most visible, we examine the role of campesino gastronomic heritage in the Central Valley of Tarija, Bolivia, as a case study of a local market-centered biocultural resource-based development strategy reflected in an alternative agri-food network. We develop a biocultural sustainability framework to examine this network from ecological, economic and sociocultural perspectives. Data are drawn from interviews ( n = 77), surveys ( n = 89) and participant observation, with primary and secondary producers of traditional and new products, as well as restaurant owners, market vendors and local consumers. We find that campesino biocultural heritage and the alternative agri-food network surrounding it represent an influential territorial project that underpins many household economies, particularly for women. We conclude that the relatively small investments by local governments to promote campesino gastronomic heritage are having positive ripple effects on small-scale producer livelihoods and on biocultural sustainability. We suggest that further support to increase market access and reduce other barriers to participation in alternative food networks will likely increase the options and benefits available to small-scale producers mobilising campesino gastronomic heritage within the local economy.

Keywords: biocultural resources; biocultural design; alternative food networks; sustainable rural development; local food systems; Bolivia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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