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Competitive Productivism and Australia's Emerging ‘Alternative’ Agri-food Networks: producing for farmers' markets in Victoria and beyond
Citation
Andree, P and Dibden, J and Higgins, V and Cocklin, C, Competitive Productivism and Australia's Emerging Alternative' Agri-food Networks: producing for farmers' markets in Victoria and beyond, Australian Geographer, 41, (3) pp. 307-322. ISSN 0004-9182 (2010) [Refereed Article]
 | PDF (Accepted manuscript) 298Kb |
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2010 Geographical Society of New South Wales Inc. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Australian Geographer on 13/08/2010, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00049182.2010.498038
DOI: doi:10.1080/00049182.2010.498038
Abstract
This paper advances the theoretical argument for moving beyond the conventional/alternative divide in the analysis of emerging ‘alternative’ agri-food networks (AAFNs). In order to understand how ‘place’, ‘nature’ and ‘quality’-based food networks emerge and develop, we argue that careful attention needs to be paid to the way in which specific political-economic environments shape the options available to farmers and consumers. Australia's ‘competitive productivism’ is the outcome of an export-oriented economy and a neoliberal political orientation, and this environment affects the development of AAFNs in various ways. Most notably, a case study of farmers that sell at farmers' markets in the State of Victoria shows that the competitive-productivist policies pursued by Australian governments entice some farmers who participate in AAFNs to develop their ideas into higher output businesses tailored to compete in emerging export markets. Other farmers deliberately choose to keep marketing through alternative channels despite competitive-productivist pressures to expand. These findings demonstrate the centrality to the experience of AAFN participants of negotiating productivist pressures, adding nuances to the story of the complex relations between AAFNs and conventional supply chains.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | farmers markets, alternative food networks, Australia |
| Research Division: | Human Society |
| Research Group: | Sociology |
| Research Field: | Rural sociology |
| Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
| Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
| Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in human society |
| UTAS Author: | Higgins, V (Professor Vaughan Higgins) |
| ID Code: | 138173 |
| Year Published: | 2010 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 38 |
| Deposited By: | Office of the School of Social Sciences |
| Deposited On: | 2020-03-26 |
| Last Modified: | 2020-06-23 |
| Downloads: | 57 View Download Statistics |
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