Journal article
Pivoting is exhausting: A critical analysis of local food system resilience
Journal of rural studies, Vol.96, pp.180-189
11/07/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.10.024
PMCID: PMC9638811
PMID: 36377232
Abstract
As COVID-19 caused severe disruptions to global supply chains in March 2020, local and regional food producers were widely heralded for their flexibility in adapting and ‘pivoting’ to meet changing market demand amidst public health protocols in ways their behemothic agri-food counterparts could not. While “resilient food systems” have become both an academic buzzword and a practical goal for urban and municipal planners, there is an emergent critical literature that calls for greater attention to questions of power within discourses on resilience. This article contributes to a more critical geography of food system resilience through analyzing the experiences of local food producers and meat processors in the state of Iowa, U.S. during the early pandemic period using a moral economy framework. We argue that while the small-scale, producers who market direct-to-consumer may show resilience in their ability to cope with and adapt to system shocks due to short supply chains and social relations, their uneven experience with socio-emotional and economic ‘costs’ of resilience merits increased attention from both academics and policymakers. The ethic of ‘hustle’ within farming, along with the greater social ‘embeddedness’ of market transactions in local food, invites a certain self-exploitation that is differentially enacted and experienced based on factors such as age, gender, health status, and their level of dependence on farm income. Our conclusions suggest that any policies focused on strengthening local and regional food system resilience need to also focus on the wellbeing of local food producers and promote policies towards dignified and remunerative work.
•Local food producers demonstrated strong resilience in adapting to COVID-19 disruptions.•Producers utilized social networks and ‘ethic of hustle’ to adapt businesses to meet pandemic challenges.•We use the concept of moral economy to understand social and emotional ‘costs’ of resilience.•Those with young children, vulnerable dependents, or lower financial stability were particularly stressed.•The social and emotional toll of adapting to COVID-19 stresses are unsustainable without greater investment in local food.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Pivoting is exhausting: A critical analysis of local food system resilience
- Creators
- Dr Carly Nichols - University of IowaDr Brandi Janssen - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, S329 College of Public Health Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, USACassidy Beamer - 911 E Washington St Apt 4, Iowa City, IA 52240, USACallie Ferring - 2200 Orchard Pl #A06, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of rural studies, Vol.96, pp.180-189
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.10.024
- PMID
- 36377232
- PMCID
- PMC9638811
- NLM abbreviation
- J Rural Stud
- ISSN
- 0743-0167
- eISSN
- 1873-1392
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/07/2022
- Academic Unit
- Public Health Administration; Occupational and Environmental Health; Injury Prevention Research Center; Interdisciplinary Programs; Geographical and Sustainability Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984315759102771
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