Refocusing Ideas and Actions
The Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture in Enhancing Diversity and the Economic Viability of Cash Crops to Guarantee Household Quality of Life in Senegal
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Fafa Sene
Agricultural sustainability arises amidst the question on the structure of the Senegalese barter economy which gives peanut a preponderant place in production and priority in marketing. To sustain the value of agricultural production, the approach would be resource conservation, commercial, social and environmental consciousness. The barter economy, inherited from colonization was not reassessed after independence. It was set in motion to defend the interests of the imperialists. Since then, capital has taken the monopoly of production. Peasants became dependent on peanut as the cash crop and enacted, in the process, their own exploitation. Value is placed on commodities but not on the peasant's labor power. As argued by Amartya Sen, this original sin of the colonial system is the main source of Senegal’s development “unfreedom”. Following FAO recommendations to increase world cereal production by 50% by 2050, Senegalese faces the challenge of rethinking its agricultural system by introducing diversity, which has become a prerequisite for food security. That is a much-needed approach in the face of population growth and climate change. This paper adapts the idea of sustainable agriculture as the way forward for a restructuring of the Senegalese agricultural system to accommodate the economic and social needs of its present peasant class while preserving the resources that will enable future generations to prosper. For that it’s necessary to go through the structural diversity of the Senegalese household based on the role assigned to each member of the patriarchy and on the human aspect that gives it meaning.
Featured Diversifying Chestnut Varieties: Reinvention of Local Chestnut Culture in North-Eastern Italy View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tina Ivnik
The paper focuses on contemporary attempts to revive/reinvent the abandoned tradition of chestnuts growing in Natisone Valleys (North-East Italy). In the past, chestnuts were a conspicuous additional source of food and one of the few sources of income for the mountain inhabitants, as well as a product that was widely exchanged for other goods in lowland areas. Due to its importance for the local economy, inhabitants had considerable skills related to the thirteen chestnut varieties present there – the ability to differentiate between them as well as knowledge of growing, inoculating and usages of different sorts (such as cooking, conserving, drying, producing flour). These skills became neglected and forgotten as a consequence of the industrialization of the lowlands and the subsequent abandonment of agriculture in the second half of the twentieth century. Nowadays, in the context of the endeavor to revive the depopulated valleys, predominantly younger generations are trying to reinterpret the chestnut growing culture from the past as an essential activity for sustainable development in the future. In the paper, I discuss some of the pursuits that I observed during my eight months long fieldwork in Natisone Valleys – mainly consisting of semi-structured interviews and participant observation – as well as limitations, disagreements, doubts, and obstacles accompanying above mentioned attempts in creating sustainable prospects in the contemporary world.
The Potentials and Barriers of Introducing Circularity-promoting Intercommunal Structures into Municipalities View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Franziska Erbe
Unsustainable production and consumption patterns lead to significant amounts of resource consumption and waste, both of which impact biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions. SDG 12 underlines that to mitigate these impacts, the current linear economic system must become more sustainable. A solution is the transition to a circular economy, an approach which aims to keep resources and products in cycles as long as possible to reduce resource use and associated environmental impacts. Municipalities as local actors play a key role in supporting this transition as they break down overarching sustainability and circularity goals into local level decision-making. In our project ‘bergisch.circular’, we introduce circularity-promoting intercommunal structures into three municipalities and evaluate how this aids in promoting circular economy on city level. This paper shows the results of a series of 26 semi-structured interviews with 32 local actors regarding the potentials and barriers of circular economy as well as intercommunal cooperation in their everyday activities. The results reveal that municipalities see the circular economy as a priority for cities, but that it is currently not systematically embedded. Potentials of circular processes such as cost savings and environmental and social benefits are seen, but a lack of personnel and funding as well as slow and stiff structures, stereotypes around circularity and business-as-usual mentalities hinder the adoption of circular economy principles. Municipalities can serve as role models in the transition, but circular solutions must take into account their individual needs as well as offer concrete and clear guidelines for implementation.
Against “Sustainability”: Loosely Structured Thoughts on a Loosely Defined Topic
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Blaz Bajic
“Sustainability” has become a hugely significant buzzword in the contemporary situation. At the same time, it has lost much of its significance. Greenwashing has drenched nearly all aspects of everyday life, particularly for the new middle class. Based on the thesis that critiquing (mis)uses of "sustainability" simultaneously de- and re-centers it, the paper discusses the issues of the increasing meaninglessness of “sustainability” as it pertains to food. In particular, it will discuss perceptions of the food of the Other, once it is transformed into a sign - a postmodern totem - of social distinction, position, and prestige.
