Abstract
In the context of the Anthropocene, food production is considered a resource-intensive industry connecting Global Southern countries as important producers and emerging markets. The global agro-food routes that mobilize commodities, such as meat and soy, between Brazil and China are not only crucial for these countries’ economies and food security but also have a massive environmental impact. These issues have been raising awareness from the side of the consumers and pressuring the government and private sector in both countries, making it important to understand the meanings and values involved in the consumption of these foods in both contexts. The young consumers emerge as important actors bringing new environmental values to the table. First-hand ethnographic data was collected between 2017 and 2019 from young consumers who negotiated between personal values and family narratives around their household meat consumption in Shanghai, China and in São Paulo, Brazil. The discussion focuses on how development processes, nutritional transition experiences, and sustainability considerations are entangled in the context of the Global South and how food-products like meat have the power to establish important agro-export strategic partnerships, at the same time as they mobilize memories of deprivation and class mobility as well as dreams of achieving a better life. The understanding of these intergenerational narratives on food and sustainability will allow these two countries to contribute with their Global South perspectives in the construction of a shared future in times of global climate change.
Presenters
Mariana Hase UetaStudent, Ph.D. Candidate, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Global South, Sustainability, Youth, Family, Environmental Values, Intergenerational, Sustainable diets
