Call for articles
Rural-urban linkages LEISA India, June 2015
When directly engaging with farmers, citizens play an active role in shaping the way their food is produced. Involvement ranges from direct purchase via farm shops and box schemes, to talking with farmers about what to produce and how, to providing inputs such as labour, seeds, knowledge or finance. Many such initiatives are driven by young people. Local restaurants and chefs also play a role in strengthening these linkages as they seek fresh, local produce. As a result, new agroecological practices have developed and the nutrient cycles are closing, leading to healthier farming systems and fewer food miles. Food cultures are developing around defined area, seasonality, freshness and fair prices. This trend goes against what many academics and politicians say are the effects of the industrialisation and globalisation of agrifood systems. They believe that rural societies will disappear, both in demographic and cultural terms, and family farmers will either move out of agriculture, or operate only as large enterprises. In this view, family farming is not seen as a social, cultural and political category in its own right, as a way of life, but merely as a professional sector that must be integrated into agri-business chains. But these prophecies remain unconfirmed. Although rural-urban relations have radically altered, what we are seeing is a reaffirmation of ways of living that are typical of the countryside and the peasantry. These local responses to globalisation are based on principles of agroecology and multifunctionality, rather than the logic of business and finance. They show that family farmers remain a determining force in the 21st century, forging promising pathways together with citizens to tackle the food, environmental and climate crises. The June 2015 issue of LEISA India will focus on linkages between the rural and urban worlds. How are these changing in the process of development? How do family farmers respond to changing urban consumption patterns? How is knowledge about food and farming co-created between rural and urban communities? What is the role of youth and of women? What is the role of technology? Are there examples of successful marketing strategies to promote food from family farms in the cities? What are the experiences, lessons and challenges of collaborative efforts between consumers and producers, in producing healthy food? We look forward to your insightful stories and practical evidence. Articles for the June 2015 issue of LEISA India should be sent to the editors before 15 April 2015. Email: leisaindia@yahoo.co.in