Food, Territory and Sustainability: Alternative Food Networks. Development Opportunities Between Economic Crisis and new Consumption Practices

The ongoing economic crisis and the growing concerns about food quality and safety are leading to an increasing awareness of consumption habits. Critical consumption is defining an alternative geography of consumption, distribution and production. Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) are expanding market niches based on the commitment and involvement of local actors. They add value to the relations between producers and consumers (Forno et al., 2013) by sharing a portion of their resources in order to obtain a greater mutual benefit (Sage, 2003; Graziano and Forno, 2012). By bridging the gap between producers and consumers, AFNs promote endogenous development, production relocalization and food system reterritorialization. AFNs represent new forms of sustainable self‐organized collective action (Migliore et al. 2014). In recent years, they have developed under the influence of (I) an increasing attention towards sustainability (II) the economic crisis (III) a more general loss of meaning due to consumerism and to the deterioration of relations (Castells et al. 2013). Moving from these assumptions, the paper reflects on the actual relevance of these economic practices and on their capability of resilience and resistance, while taking into account the main constraints and opportunities that foster/limit their spread. Data for the analysis came from several sources of information, such as interviews with key actors, participant observation, and an extensive mapping and in‐depth analysis of key projects involved in the construction of the food supply chain systems in a medium sized town in northern Italy.