“Urban social initiatives for ‘food justice’: new forms of solidarity networks and social interaction in Greece.”

Summary of the Research Proposal

This research proposal addresses the raising societal claims in Greece for ‘food justice’ within a wider discourse on urban resilience underlying the importance of food security and nutrition of cities worldwide, especially in times of economic crisis. Theoretically, this research is embedded in the current discourse on ‘food justice’ as access to sustainable and healthy food systems and raises important issues associated with anti-poverty aspects, social inclusion and the raising awareness of environmental, economic and health concerns in cities. In a context of current depression (unemployment, poverty, decline of the welfare state and low quality of life), this newly emerging movement deriving from both ‘from below’ and from public actors, has generated innovative forms of collective action on ‘food justice’ all over Greece (e.g. urban gardens, Community Supported Agriculture-CSA, networks ‘without intermediaries’). A series of bottom-up initiatives, informal networks and market-oriented activities that promote alternative short agri-food chains, food-activist, educational or other collective self-help structures empower solidarity-based economy. At the same time spontaneous public initiatives mainly deriving from the local administration in the framework of their social policy (e.g. municipal gardens) respond to the social effects of austerity and are more oriented to combat crisis stress and social exclusion.
The research aims to present novel evidence on ‘food justice’ topic, by documenting the discourse and politics of the contemporary dynamics of the initiatives that have accompanied the recent crisis, weaving emerging forms of innovative social and economic activity and solidarity networks. The analysis of different features, motivations and social interactions among the actors involved in the selected cases investigates the social construction of place through the redefinition of shared values and principles. Moreover, by analysing the interrelations and synergies between grassroots movements and public social initiatives on food issues and the political space that is or can be potentially created for alternative patterns of food production, distribution and consumption and other locally defined solutions for ‘food justice’. it sheds light on the way in which informal public and civic practices could articulate with formal institutional configurations and therefore the possibilities for democratic practices and institutional change.
Drawing upon theoretical discoveries and empirical research on two of the most prominent forms of civic and public initiatives in Athens, urban gardening and CSA consumer-producer networks, the analysis focuses on two main questions: a) What are the motivations, perceptions and experiences of consumers and producers engaged in alternative food networks? What are the new links produced between food, space and people? b) What are the interrelations and synergies between grassroots movements and public social initiatives on food issues?
In order to answer these questions, field research will be based on a set of representative case studies: a) Semi-structured interviews with civic and public actors, engaged in urban gardening initiatives that aim to re-integrate agriculture into the city fabric and b) Participant observation in one of the newly appeared consumer-farmer network (CSA) that favors the development of direct sales without intermediaries by delivering weekly vegetable baskets in the metropolitan area of Athens.

This research project was funded by the Research Centre for the Humanities (RCH), with the support of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.

To view the conference’s program in Greek, click here.

Research: “Urban social initiatives for ‘food justice’: new forms of solidarity networks and social interaction in Greece”

Researcher: Dr. Sofia Nikolaidou

This research proposal addresses the raising societal claims in Greece for food justice within a wider discourse on urban resilience underlying the importance of food security and nutrition of cities worldwide, especially in times of economic crisis. Theoretically, this research is embedded in the current discourse on food justice as access to sustainable and healthy food systems and raises important issues associated with anti-poverty aspects, social inclusion and the raising awareness of environmental, economic and health concerns in cities. In a context of current depression (unemployment, poverty, decline of the welfare state and low quality of life), this newly emerging movement deriving from both ‘from below’ and from public actors, has generated innovative forms of collective action on food justice all over Greece (e.g. urban gardens, Community Supported Agriculture-CSA, networks ‘without intermediaries’). A series of bottom-up initiatives, informal networks and market-oriented activities that promote alternative short agri-food chains, food-activist, educational or other collective self-help structures empower solidarity-based economy. At the same time spontaneous public initiatives mainly deriving from the local administration in the framework of their social policy (e.g. municipal gardens) respond to the social effects of austerity and are more oriented to combat crisis stress and social exclusion.

The research aims to present novel evidence on food justice topic, by documenting the discourse and politics of the contemporary dynamics of the initiatives that have accompanied the recent crisis, weaving emerging forms of innovative social and economic activity and solidarity networks. The analysis of different features, motivations and social interactions among the actors involved in the selected cases investigates the social construction of place through the redefinition of shared values and principles. Moreover, by analysing the interrelations and synergies between grassroots movements and public social initiatives on food issues and the political space that is or can be potentially created for alternative patterns of food production, distribution and consumption and other locally defined solutions for food justice, it sheds light on the way in which informal public and civic practices could articulate with formal institutional configurations and therefore the possibilities for democratic practices and institutional change.

Drawing upon theoretical discoveries and empirical research in the newly appeared consumer-producer networks that favor the development of direct sales without intermediaries, the analysis focuses on two main questions: a) What are the motivations, perceptions and experiences of consumers and producers engaged in alternative food networks? What are the new links produced between food, space and people? b) What are the interrelations and synergies between grassroots movements and public social initiatives on food issues?

In order to answer these questions, the fieldwork was carried out in producer-consumer networks that emerged in the metropolitan area of ​​Athens through: a) Participatory observation and interviews with producers and consumers that take part in CSA-baskets (Community Supported Agriculture-CSA) allowing the consumers in Athens’ neighborhoods to buy a box of organic vegetables and other farm products directly from the famer and without intermediaries, b) semi-structured interviews with citizens, civil society organizations and representatives of local authorities related to solidarity-related food initiatives.

 

Sophia Nikolaidou is adjunct lecturer at the Department of Social Policy (Panteion University, Athens) and at Hellenic Open University (Master in Social and Solidarity Economy). She received her PhD degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the School of Architecture (National Technical University of Athens, 2012). Master’s degree (MSc) in rural development and natural resource management (CIHEAM, IAM Montpellier, 2005) and Diploma (MA) in the Department of Planning and Regional Development (Dipl. Eng. University of Thessaly, 2003). Her research and teaching topics cover spatial planning and new approaches to sustainable urban and rural development, with particular focus on urban sprawl, urban-rural relationships, peri-urban transformations and local development. Her more recent publications are related to food sovereignty movements and Alternative Food Networks, agri-food policies and green space governance (urban and peri-urban agriculture, Community Supported Agriculture, Short Supply Chains, movements ‘without intermediaries’).

 

 

 

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Selected Publications

• Nikolaidou, S. (2018). “Temporal urban landscapes and urban gardening: re-inventing open space in Greece and Switzerland”, Chapter in Certomà C., Noori, S. Sondermann, M.(eds). Urban Gardening. The Struggles of Social and Spatial Justice. Manchester University Press – Social Science Collection (proofreading accepted, forthcoming)
• Anthopoulou, Th., Nikolaidou, S., Partalidou, M., Petrou, M. (2018). The emergence of municipal gardens in Greece. New social functions of agriculture in times of crisis. In C.-T. Soulard et al. (eds.), Toward Sustainable Relations Between Agriculture and the City, Urban Agriculture, 181-199, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71037-2_11
• Kolokouris, O., Nikolaidou, S., Anthopoulou, Th. (2016). Mapping Land-use dynamics, environmental conflicts and social pressures in the peri-urban area of Athens. Options Méditerranéennes
• Nikolaidou, S., Klöti, T., Tappert, S., Drilling, M. (2016). Urban Gardening and Green Space Governance: Towards New Collaborative Planning Practices. Urban Planning 1(1), 5-19. Online Reference
• Prové, C., Kemper, D., Loudiyi, S., Mumenthaler, C., Nikolaidou, S. (2015). “Governance of Urban Agriculture Initiatives: Insights drawn from European case studies”, pp.64-69. In Frank Lohrberg, Lilli Licka, Lionella Scazzosi and Axel Timpe (2015). Urban Agriculture Europe. Berlin: Editions Jovis.
• Ανθοπούλου, Θ. και Νικολαΐδου, Σ. (2015). Οι καλλιεργητές της πόλης: Ο Δημοτικός αστικός λαχανόκηπος του Αμαρουσίου, Athens Social Atlas, στο Μαλούτας Θ., Σπυρέλλης Σ. (επιμ.) Κοινωνικός άτλαντας της Αθήνας. Ηλεκτρονική συλλογή κειμένων και εποπτικού υλικού Online Reference
• Anthopoulou, Th., Kolokouris, Ο., Nikolaïdou, S., Partalidou, M. (2015). “Aux arbres citoyens! Le mouvement d’agriculture urbaine, une forme participative d’appropriation de l’espace” p. 339-349. Vianey G. (ed.), Requier-Desjardins M. (ed.), Paoli J.C. (ed.). Accaparement, action publique, stratégies individuelles et ressources naturelles : regards croisés sur la course aux terres et à l’eau en contextes méditerranéens. Montpellier : CIHEAM, 2015. 368 p. (Options Méditerranéennes : Série B. Etudes et Recherches; n. 72). Online Reference
• Νικολαΐδου, Σ. και Μωυσίδης, Α. (2014). Αστική γεωργία και βιώσιμη πόλη. Οικοτριβές – Τεύχος 13 (5 Οκτ. 2014) Online Reference
• Nikolaïdou, S. (2013). Dynamiques périurbaines et mutations des espaces littoraux. Le cas d’une plaine viticole de Messoghia. Athènes (Grèce). Demain la Méditerranée: un littoral sans nature ? Les espaces agricoles et naturels face à l’urbanisation (Perrin, C.). Rome: Ed. Ramses2 – Presses de l’Ecole Française de Rome. pp. 101-110. Online Reference
• Νικολαΐδου, Σ. (2012). Δυναμικές εξέλιξης και μετασχηματισμοί του περιαστικού χώρου της μητροπολιτικής περιοχής Αθηνών: η περίπτωση της περιοχής των Μεσογείων Διδακτορική διατριβή, Σχολή Αρχιτεκτόνων ΕΜΠ. Τομέας πολεοδομίας χωροταξίας Online Reference
• Nikolaidou, S. (2011). Politiques de planification et logiques des acteurs locaux dans le contexte de périurbanisation du sud-est d’Athènes. Options Méditerranéennes, B 66:145-158. Paris: CIHEAM. Online Reference
• Nikolaidou, S., Jouve, A.-M., Anthopoulou, Th., (2010). La dynamique de la viticulture en zones périurbaines : Etude comparative entre Athènes et Montpellier. A Volume of Articles in Honor of Yavuz Tekelioglu. Akdeniz I.I.B.F. Dergisi (19) 2010, 125-134. Online Reference
• Nikolaidou, S. (2007). Les transformations socio-spatiales et l’avenir de l’agriculture en zones périurbaines: étude de la viticulture de Messogheia (Attiki, Grèce), Editions : CIHEAM-IAMM, Série «Master of Science” Νο 83, Thèse requise pour l’obtention du titre Master of Science. (*Gained the award for the best thesis on Master of Science of CIHEAM 2006). Online Reference