Ana Moragues | Cardiff University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ana Moragues

Cities have begun to develop a more "place-based approach" to food policy that emphasizes translo... more Cities have begun to develop a more "place-based approach" to food policy that emphasizes translocal alliances. To understand how such alliances develop distinct capacities to act, in this paper we integrate key theoretical contributions from governance networks, social movements and translocal assemblages. Our analysis focuses on the activities and tools used by the UK's Sustainable Food Cities Network to assemble local experiences, create common imaginaries and perform collective action. Through these processes, we argue, the network creates cross-scalar, collective and distributive agencies that are modifying incumbent governance dynamics. As we conclude, this raises the need to further explore how translocal configurations can develop forms of power that contest, break or reassemble the relations in the food system that are actively preventing the emergence of more sustainable foodscapes.

In times of austerity and global environmental change, recent crises related to food (in)securiti... more In times of austerity and global environmental change, recent crises related to food (in)securities and (un)sustainabilities urge us to reposition agri-food research. We argue that there is an opportunity to develop a more critical food scholarship by explicitly integrating political ecology approaches. For this purpose, the paper outlines major elements in the extensive political ecology scholarship to guide a critical review of some central trends in food research, as well as considering the contribution to date of food studies to political ecology perspectives. This exercise allows us to identify key avenues of convergence between food studies and political ecology frameworks that constitute three conceptual building blocks of a revised critical food scholarship: understanding place-based socio-natures; addressing the politics of scale and inequality; and co-producing knowledge and change. These coordinates are used to analyse two emergent potential spaces of possibility, embodied in the emergence of cities as food policy actors and the rise of the Food Sovereignty movement. We conclude by exploring how a critical food scholarship could inform an inclusive reframing to produce the grounds of possibility for a more socially and ecologically diverse food system.

A B S T R A C T Studies on vulnerabilities and drivers of change in the food system have largely ... more A B S T R A C T Studies on vulnerabilities and drivers of change in the food system have largely failed to address holistic but also the competing interpretations of " food security ". In general, they tend to focus on specific sectors and dimensions of the food system as well as on outcomes, rather than unpacking root causes of vulnerability. To contribute to overcoming these limitations, a Delphi survey with 45 European experts on food security was conducted to identify the main drivers of change, threats and weaknesses of the EU food system and to uncover their root causes. Linking empirical data with theoretical discussions on vulnerability and governance, we identify five food system governance deficiencies that impinge upon food security in Europe: a failure to deal with cross-scale dynamics; the inability to address issues related to persistent inequalities in food rights and entitlements; increasing geopolitical and sectorial interdependencies; power imbalances and low institutional capacities; and conflicting values and interpretations of " food security ". These five dimensions, we conclude, need to be addressed in an integrated fashion to progress the current polarised academic and policy debates and begin to build a more democratic, sustainable and secure European food system.

In the context of apolitical tendencies in food studies, this paper explores how alternative food... more In the context of apolitical tendencies in food studies, this paper explores how alternative food networks can contribute to developing emancipatory food politics rather than constitute a tool to reproduce neoliberal subjectivities. For this purpose, I contend that the post-political literature offers a useful approach to examining the concept of food politics by developing a more robust theoretical framework, permitting the establishment of linkages with broader contemporary processes of social change. The analysis of an action-research process with buying groups in Spain is used to examine the " politics of collectivity " at play, that is, how these initiatives institutionalise " the political ". Specifically I explore the motivations mobilised to construct place-based ethical repertoires and unveil how these groups govern the relationality of consumption practices in the pursuit of broader processes of change. I conclude by discussing the contribution of these initiatives to building egalitarian food democracies. Resumen: En el contexto de tendencias apolíticas en los estudios agroalimentarios, este artículo explora cómo las redes alimentarias alternativas pueden contribuir a desarrollar una política de la comida emancipatoria, en vez de constituir una herramienta para reproducir subjetividades neoliberales. Para alcanzar este objetivo, la literatura post-política ofrece un enfoque útil para examinar el concepto de la política de la comida, desarrollando un marco teórico robusto que permite establecer vínculos con otros procesos de cambio social. En este marco, se analiza un proceso de investigación acción participativa con grupos de consumo en España con el fin de entender la " política del colectivo " , es decir, cómo estas iniciativas institucionalizan " lo político " , entendido como una expresión de disentimiento con las actuales configuraciones socio-ecológicas. Concretamente, este estudio explora las motivaciones movilizadas para construir repertorios éticos territorializados y revelar cómo estos grupos gobiernan la relacionalidad de las prácticas de consumo con el fin de implementar procesos de cambio social más amplios. Concluyo discutiendo la contribución de estas iniciativas a la construcción de democracias alimentarias que promuevan la igualdad.

Farmers' organizations are essential actors in fair trade certification schemes, and therefore in... more Farmers' organizations are essential actors in fair trade certification schemes, and therefore in delivering their associated benefits for poor small-scale farmers. However, the dynamics and challenges faced by these cooperative organizations have been largely bypassed in the fair trade literature. In this context, this paper aims to unpack the multiple, coexisting and interwoven marketing channels available for small-scale coffee producers, unveiling potential sources of uncertainty and tensions among competing actors and interests, and identifying and assessing the strategies used by organizations to influence farmers' marketing decisions. The analysis comprises two case studies based in the department of Huehuetenango (Guatemala), where the existence of distinct marketing channels combines with processes of product differentiation, namely organic production. Results show the limitations of standard fair trade mechanisms to secure farmers' engagement with cooperative organizations. Rather, technical advice to improve farming practices and quality construction seem to be a more effective mechanism to govern this collective supply chain. Nevertheless, these strategies could be further constrained by productive and organizational factors, affecting the sustainability of potential benefits delivered by these key collective actors.

Building a more just and sustainable food system requires changes at different levels, from our d... more Building a more just and sustainable food system requires changes at different levels, from our day-today eating choices to global institutional arrangements and from food producers and consumers to policy makers and academics. A key element in the transformation of the food system is how we share and create new knowledge that supports this transition towards a food system that delivers good food for all. This briefing paper aims to contribute to a more engaged research process by describing and reflecting on one experience of Participative Action Research (PAR): live projects with MSc students at Cardiff University. For that purpose first we present a short introduction to Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a tool for social change, followed by a description of live projects as part of an MSc module on sustainable food at Cardiff University. Subsequently, we further illustrate two of these live projects conducted in 2015. The first example deals with the opportunities and challenges of establishing a local 'food hub' by the Riverside Community Markets Association (RCMA), which included engaging different stakeholders throughout the process and contributing to the literature on community-building and short food supply chains. The second project is based on an investigation into the uptake, or the lack thereof, regarding a vegetable box delivery scheme run by the Riverside Market Garden (RMG); this project involved unpacking real world challenges of economic sustainability that affect many of these alternative food initiatives. Finally, we reflect on this experience by examining how it generates value for students, organisations and the faculty, as well as the challenges we face; ultimately highlighting how PAR can be part of academia's commitment to changing the food system and all of us that are part of it.

Cities are becoming key transition spaces where new food governance systems are being fashioned, ... more Cities are becoming key transition spaces where new food governance systems are being fashioned, creating "spaces of deliberation" that bring together civil society, private actors and local governments. In order to understand the potential of these new urban food policy configurations, this paper draws on urban political ecology scholarship as a critical lens to analyse governance-beyond-the-state processes and associated post-political configurations.

Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning 15 (4), 577-579, 2014

International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture & Food 21 (1), 2014

As a response to emerging calls for the adoption of a systemic approach to food security, in this... more As a response to emerging calls for the adoption of a systemic approach to food security, in this article we identify and discuss inextricably linked barriers to 'sustainable food security'. Based on an extensive analysis of recent academic and policy literatures on the economic, social and ecological effects of global environmental change at different stages of the food system, we highlight a series of cross-cutting issues and areas of disconnection between food production and consumption that call for a renovated focus on the different nodal points of the food system. As we suggest, a sustainable food security framework should move away from the conventional focus on individual components of the food system (e.g., supply and demand) and address more holistically the complex relationships between its different stages and actors.

Journal of Rural Studies, 2014

In some regions, small-scale low productivity farms persist despite modernisation pressures and p... more In some regions, small-scale low productivity farms persist despite modernisation pressures and policy pitfalls. This phenomenon calls for a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play which are largely bypassed in current academic debates, but are regaining momentum given the complex challenges faced by the agricultural sector. Some Mediterranean areas represent a particular case, characterised by a landscape of small farms, managed part-time, extending through high nature value areas, and producing reputable quality products. This research aims to unveil how this type of agriculture is reproduced. Through an enlarged notion of embeddedness this study explores the distinct farmers' strategies and their interdependencies in Alto Palancia County (Spain). For that purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted in three municipalities that sought first to unveil the role of social and territorial embeddedness in reproducing the system, but also revealed the necessary contribution of capital flows from the local and regional economy as well as welfare state transfers. These findings shed light on the nature of part-time farming, which needs to be considered as part of a broader agricultural system. Furthermore, this paper calls for a more place-based and relational analytical framework in order to understand the reproduction of agricultural dynamics. This approach is paramount to assess public policy impacts e which go beyond agricultural policy measures e and improve the design of future interventions.

Outlook on Agriculture, 2012

This paper describes the development, functioning and governance of quality assurance schemes for... more This paper describes the development, functioning and governance of quality assurance schemes for olive oil in three cooperative organizations. Two questions are addressed: first, how the construction of new quality schemes by cooperatives can lead to the fragmentation of the membership base, and hence the need for new institutional arrangements; and second, how the development of such schemes alters the interdependencies between parties (cooperative organization and its members), and how this is governed. The comparative analysis shows the relevance of the social and cultural contexts in shaping the mechanisms of governance, as well contributing to the policy debate in the European Union regarding new food quality schemes.

Sociologia Ruralis, 2012

Although agro-food researchers have been calling for studies that uncover the tensions inherent i... more Although agro-food researchers have been calling for studies that uncover the tensions inherent in the process of construction of alternative food networks, the literature has mostly focused on individual initiatives, which make it difficult to address the implications of these processes in the wider territorial context where they operate. To overcome this fragmentation and begin to draw theoretical generalizations, we compare the different strategies used by three cooperatives of olive oil producers in the Alto Palancia County (Spain). Based on a set of in-depth interviews with key food chain actors, the analysis uses the concept of embeddedness to examine the interplay between the social (trust and collective action) and the spatial (relationship with place) dimensions that characterise the olive oil networks. As we argue, this interplay plays a crucial role in shaping governance arrangements that are in turn responsible for constructing the quality attributes of the product. In addition to generating new insights into the nature of the relationship between food quality, power and place, the paper highlights the potential of both embeddedness and dis-embeddedness processes in delivering rural development benefits, as well as the importance of supporting collective place-making strategies that contribute to the creation of regional economic spaces.

Environment and Planning A, 2010

With this paper we aim to analyse how new entrepreneurial strategies are emerging in the field of... more With this paper we aim to analyse how new entrepreneurial strategies are emerging in the field of agricultural cooperatives within the Region of Valencia (Spain), and how these strategies are characterised through the lens of the agrarian-based rural development model. Initial results show that these strategies have the potential to strengthen the role of cooperatives in rural economic development as they add value to specific territorial resources, create new ties with other local and nonlocal actors, and diversify the economy of rural areas. Nevertheless, the cooperative (collective) nature of these organisations can also create decision-making and investment problems, as they can divide the interests of their social base.

Energy Policy, 2010