Farming along desire lines: Collective action and food systems adaptation to climate change

Bernard Soubry, Kate Sherren, Thomas F. Thornton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We examine collective action in the food system of the Canadian Maritimes to determine its effect on the resilience and adaptive capacity of food producers, distributors, retailers and governance institutions. Our data suggest that beyond their immediate benefits for their participants, expressions of collective action generate higher-level impacts which often translate into drivers of adaptive capacity. Drawing on a metaphor from urban design, we suggest that collective action should be considered a desire line for food systems adaptation: rather than building adaptation strategies based on top-down design, collective action emerges from farmers’ needs and capacities to build financial resilience, enhance human and social capital and strengthen institutional agency within the system.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)420-436
Number of pages17
JournalPeople and Nature
Volume2
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors express their deep gratitude to all the participants who volunteered their precious time, expertise, and kindness to this research. Thanks to the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet nations, on whose unceded territory the Climate Resilience on Maritime Farms project takes place. Thanks as well to the friends at Community Forests International and the McGill Land and Food Lab, who provided companionship and workspace; and to Günther Grill and Penny Beames, for the GIS help. Thanks to the Rhodes Trust (UK) and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation (Canada) for their unwavering support of B.S.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. People and Nature published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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