Chapter 2: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Alternative Food Networks.
Part II: AFNs from the Consumers’ Viewpoint.
Chapter 3: Introduction to Part II.
Chapter 4:Determinants of Participation in AFNs and its Value for Consumers.
Chapter 5: Consumers’ Quality Conventions in Alternative, Conventional and High-Quality Food Chains.
Chapter 6: The Environmental Quality Factors sought by Consumers in Alternative and Conventional Market Channels.
Chapter 7: Understanding Alternative Food Networks after the Crisis: Testing Four Scenarios in Italy.
Part III: AFNs From the Producers’ Viewpoint .
Chapter 8: Introduction to Part III.
Chapter 9: Determinants of Farmers’ Participation in AFNs.
Chapter 10: The Economic Viability Of Solidarity Purchase Groups (Gruppi Di Acquisto Solidale).
Chapter 11: Quality and Price Setting By Producers In AFNs.
Part IV: Environment, Territory, and AFNs.
Chapter 12: Introduction to Part IV.
Chapter 13: Applied Environmental Sustainability of Fruits and Vegetables in Different Distribution Channels (AFNs and Large Scale Retail).- Chapter 14: Reterritorialization, Proximity and Urban Food Planning: Research Perspectives on AFNs.
Part V: Conclusions.
Chapter 15: Conclusions: An Interdisciplinary Assessment.
Alessandro Corsi is Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Turin, Italy.
Filippo Barbera is Associate Professor of Economic Sociology at the University of Turin, Italy and Affiliate of the Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy.
Egidio Dansero is Professor of Political and Economic Geography at the University of Turin, Italy.
Cristiana Peano is Associate Professor of Arboriculture at the University of Turin, Italy.
In recent years, Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) have been a key issue both in the scientific community and in public debates. This is due to their profound implications for rural development, local sustainability, and bio-economics. This edited collection discusses what the main determinants of the participation of operators – both consumers and producers – in AFNs are, what the conditions for their sustainability are, what their social and environmental effects are, and how they are distributed geographically. Further discussions include the effect of AFNs in structuring the food chain and how AFNs can be successfully scaled up.
The authors explicitly take an interdisciplinary approach to analyse AFNs from different perspectives, using as an example the Italian region of Piedmont, a particularly interesting case study due to the diffusion of AFNs in the area, as well as due to the fact that it was in this region that the ‘Slow Food’ movement originated.
Alessandro Corsi is Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Turin, Italy.
Filippo Barbera is Associate Professor of Economic Sociology at the University of Turin, Italy and Affiliate of the Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy.
Egidio Dansero is Professor of Political and Economic Geography at the University of Turin, Italy.
Cristiana Peano is Associate Professor of Arboriculture at the University of Turin, Italy.