Middle Class, Tradition and the Desi-Realm—Discourses of Alternative Food Networks in Bengaluru, India

Mirka Erler and Christoph Dittrich
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Mirka Erler: Institute of Geography, Department of Human Geography, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Christoph Dittrich: Institute of Geography, Department of Human Geography, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: It has repeatedly been claimed that persistent traditional agriculture and marketing in countries of the Global South, such as India, are a fruitful basis for the foundation of alternative food networks (AFNs). However, literature on AFNs in the Global South is scarce and it thus remains uncertain how the appropriation of traditional agri-food practices plays out. We conducted semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of 14 AFNs in Bengaluru, India, in order to explore their aims and approaches. We found that there is a high variety of different AFNs in the city. One salient discourse among the representatives was that the agri-food system can be improved by a revitalization of tradition. In this paper, we discuss the implications of this conviction on representatives of AFNs. Traditionalism, we argue, does rather represent a deflection from achieving the stated goals of the AFN, namely the improvement of the livelihood of Indian farmers.

Keywords: alternative food networks; India; Bengaluru; Global South; unreflexive traditionalism; defensive traditionalism; peasants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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