The political economy of place and territory in local agri-food networks : A case study from the United States

This paper examines how key actors such as input suppliers, producers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers, active in local agri-food networks define their social, political and economic relationships to one another. This examination reveals the ways in which these relationships are rooted in territorial and place-based identities and are contingent upon individual and organizational positioning and placement within local agri-food networks. Drawing upon a case study of a local agri-food network centered near metropolitan Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., this paper's central claim is that relations of production, distribution and consumption in local agri-food networks comprised of fresh, seasonal produce are shaped by the politics and economics of place-based and territorial identities. These differentiated and contextualized identities mediate the political and economic rationales of these actors thereby shaping their opportunities and constraints within specific relationships, which constitute the local agri-food network. (Résumé d'auteur