Forming supply chains framed within agroecological principles : possibilities for the Andean blueberry in Antioquia, Colombia.
Abstract
This study discusses the importance of agroecology and food sovereignty in ensuring sustainable food systems. Agroecology improves productivity by utilizing ecosystem services while recognizing the significance of farmers and food producers' knowledge and practices, offering localized solutions for global challenges, and reducing costs and negative environmental impacts by using fewer external resources. Food sovereignty provides a broader political and social context for agroecology, emphasizing the importance of empowering communities through control and local decision-making in food production and distribution. However, traditional approaches to analyzing power in the agricultural food industry have yet to notice the unique characteristics of rural communities. Agroecological social movement studies must take action to prevent smallholders from being overcome by global market pressures. Social capital, which can promote sustainable agricultural practices by encouraging cooperation, knowledge exchange, and resource sharing, cannot be assumed implicitly within agroecological networks, particularly in areas historically impacted by violence and displacement. This dissertation proposes an analytical framework to examine how social capital shapes power relations within agroecological networks in a region affected by violence and displacement in Colombia. Using a qualitative approach, the study examines how power relations and social capital elements interact within agroecological networks in Eastern Antioquia, a region with a history of violence where networks struggle to perdure despite the pressure of urban expansion, gentrification, and the agroindustry's expansion. The study explores the obstacles actors within the Andean blueberry (Vaccinium Meridionale Swartz) supply chain encounter when trying to associate, access institutions and external resources, and influence policies, considering Colombia's legal framework governing food supply chains. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how social capital shapes power relations and affects the formation of agroecological networks, particularly in areas affected by violence and displacement, and offers insights into the challenges of forming agroecological supply chains and joining agroecological networks in such contexts.
Degree
Ph. D.