Critical Approach to Food Alternatives – ethnographic exercise and workshop
Hey everyone - here are the notes from the morning, still some group notes missing, would be nice that you add them (just login and click on edit)
The methodological description of the exercise: https://co-munity.net/file/113019/download?token=Do8gg4qW.
Case Study: Pueblos Blancos
A role playing exercise
by Agata Hummel and Czapka
Marta, a farmer, had her crops last year destroyed by a flood. To deal with the losses, she proposes to open up the cooperative to the market, effectively going against the original values of the cooperative.
The story is based on an article shared with the participants before the course (and which very few have read): http://co-munity.net/system/files/documents/media/andalucia_peter_luetchford_1.pdf
## Discourse/arguments preparation in small groups
Enrique:
- What Marta is going to say?
- subsides - she will become depended
- start with values
- Points:
- * cooperative should support Marta
- * Dig more what she really needs
- * big support festival
- * help through conviviality
- * WE DONT DROP OUR VALUES AT FIRST DIFFICULTY FFS!!!
- * help her with workers and food.
- * If we go all export we will fuck up our reputation!
- * Interneational Solidarity!
- * Summercamp wCopith hundresds of volunteers :)
- * Buld our own exchange system :)
- * Cooperative trust - set up structures for the future of the community
- * extend our solidatity network
- * plant rize or fishes :)
- * do something against future floods
Pablo and Maria, coordinators of the Pueblos Blancos:
They are taking care of the cooperative values, mostly based on "La Verde" values. They need to deal with the issue of opening the cooperative to the market, which will lead to loss of autonomy (subsistence principle replaced by economic profit). La Verde is one of the cooperatives part of Pueblos Blancos and follow a community supported agriculture model, have been buying land through urban consumers money. Most of the consumers of the Pueblos Blancos production are related/networked through La Verde.
Main discoursive elements:
- Opening up is a threat for the local economy; more production to invest in the exports, local economy will be second priority
- There is a risk that the local (La Verde) is lost due to mismatching/conflicting values; they are an avant-garde of the cooperative and very
- They are selling directly to the shops or consumers, not wholesalers - which means this implies a change in the business structure
- A few small farmers; are locked up in the market-based logic; they want to have greater security and follow the conventional solution of orienting towards exports for increasing cash flows
- There is probably an information gap between the avant-gardes of the cooperative and the small farmers
Proposals:
- Implement a solidarity mechanism of sharing and insurances (fund)
- Can agree on export, but with strong limits on the amount to be exported; and if opened, attempt to sell to sister cooperatives in France, rather than the conventional markets
- Intensify and expand the local markets (rather than focusing on international exports to France)
- Organize information sessions, to present alternative models of production and business - much knowledge within the cooperative (e.g. La Verde), can invite also people from the outside
Marta, the affected farmer making the proposal:
Consumer A Claudia:
wants to have contact with the farmers from whom she buys
she doesnt have much money
she doesnt care much about eko or not
actually she would beOK if someone exports aslong as she can buy ame stuff for ame price..
...but shes worried that with exprt it will be difficlt to eep it as it is
shehinks it might be betterto orgaize some soutin witin the coop - raise mone, help Martha working with he
in general she thinks the oop sould have some fund for such crisis situations
Consumer B:
## The meeting
(audio podcast will be available)
The 6 representatives of the different roles present themselves in the round. The public watches.
Marta explains her proposal of selling the production to international markets, particularly to France.
Enrique from La Verde wants to know why do they need to export, what is the problem? He hold a hard stance on protecting the values of the cooperative and how this export and market orientation
Marta counteracts that no one here has money. The money is in the EU and if they buy organic fertilizer on a certified producer, they get subsidies from the EU.
Enrique is worried about this subsidy-dependence - they should rather organize as a community. Maybe a big festival or summer camp to support.
Pablo wants to know if this is a punctual problem or something structural. Marta replies that it is structural - they are not using the whole capacity of the farm; they need to make it slightly more efficient and productive.
Marta argues that they are not going away from the local market and will keep a priority on the local markets. They want however to export the surplus, get certified fertilizers and access EU subsidies.
Marta puts forward even more concrete proposals, different phases, to go from buying fertilizer
A consumer (F) sees these controls as unecessary, they don't want to go to supermarket, but buy from them directly. Marta talks over.
Moderator puts a bit of order on the discussion.
Enrique speaks and gets annoyed by interruptions from Marta. He speaks again against subsidy-dependency and how this leads to loss of control. Instead, they should go to their cooperative consumers.
Maria asks that it is then about intensifying local networks. Yes, answers Enrique, they can sell surplus in their social centres, squats, etc. They can produce for example dry beans, which they can sell all over the year in Madrid, Barcelona, etc.
Marta says that is great, they can sell on Barcelona, in France...
Maria says these are two different strategies - one is to have an export strategy that is focused on finding international partners
Marta interrupts, that is a fixation on this idea of borders
Maria, on the second strategy - is about expanding, linking existing network relations
Consumer (M) talks about supporting investments in this direction, the initial work, through organising events, etc. And we should define what is local - 500 km, into France, or 10 km? We can expand the market but slowly and not so far away
Pablo alerts that even if the customers in France have different values, there will be very different types of relationships. Arguing with the values of localism, he's not very happy with the idea of competing with those local markets that also exist out there.
Marta counterargues that she knows the markets there and she knows she can produce 3 times as she produced last year. She's not spoiling the local markets there, but nowadays is normal to eat products also coming from elsewhere.
Enrique argues again. Marta says: there is no money!
Consumer (F) feels a bit insulted by the suggestion that she has not enough money to buy the products of Marta.
Maria is concerned with the fact that export markets are overtaking priority over the local supply.
Marta: "I just want to have a sustainable living". "We need to produce a little bit more - that's for sure!"
Everyone speaks over each other. Maria has a hard time with the moderation and starts taking a more active role and putting up her position/the majority values of the cooperative.
(... some break in the notes, connection problems)
Pablo proposes to sell to other countries, but within sister initiatives - for example to consumer cooperatives in countries where there is not enough tomato production.
The session has been FREEZED - the moderator asks Marta how does she feels. Then also the other members of the cooperative.
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ethnographic_exercise.doc