1. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Activity concepts for local organic food chains Laura Seppänen University of Helsinki

2. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Activity concept (Virkkunen, 2001): - “How to organize the food chain” - A principle and a structure for integrating different elements for a logical and functioning whole - Includes an interpretation of the object and meaning of an activity - Is an answer to the demands given from others -> Chain concepts []

3. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Questions: 1.How different chain concepts were constructed in the discussion? 2. How to understand sustainability in the context of chain concepts?

4. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Food processor/ farmer A shopkeeper/ local food activist Consumer/: teacher Researchers/ local dwellers Project/ Municipality LEADER- group/ activist of organic farming/ entrepreneur/ potential farmer The meeting Local and organic food: where are we, where are we going? Kitchen matron/ neighbour

5. Jelgava 7.4.2005 1.Discussing logistics 2. Questioning the ’small operation’ 3. Five answers to questioning the small operation 4. ’Concluding’- discussion: Concepts B ja C in a dilemmatic way Concept A Discussion on how to organise local food: (in the second phase of the meeting)

6. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Concept A: Small deliveries from big units Concept B: Producer cooperation Concept C: Small as competitive advantage?

7. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Sustainability as: 1.Moving to a chain concept that best fits the needs of actual agro-food systems (from C to B?) 2. Participation (Actors locally decide their chain concepts)

8. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Visualizing food chains: Hierarchical, market, partnership and social relations in allocation of food flows Minna Mikkola & Laura Seppänen

9. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Beus & Dunlap 1990: Conventional and alternative paradigms Market and hierarchic forms (competition and authority) Cooperation, community and trust Can these differences be seen in the food networks?

10. Jelgava 7.4.2005 EU, biotope Pro Agria Mun. advis. Local Bank Growers’ group UH ‘Master’ Italian voluntary Exp. farm Organic growers Association Label Co Friend, org. study group Machine group Other organic growers Local retail outlets Old age home Local schools Central catering Local food project City retail outlet Specialty shops nationally Marketing Coop Retail and specialty shops Local restaurant UH project Developer Employer, machine Co Wife’s employer, research institute Neighbour farm Municipal projects Growers’ marketing Co Veg. Co Organic small scale vegetable chain relations Farm Individual Organisation Partner Market Domination/ hierarchy Social relation Part time farm

11. Jelgava 7.4.2005 ‘Vegetable profet’ Relative Wife Children Other farms renting land Foreign labourers on the Growers’ farms Growers Co Growers marketing Co Trusted by GCo Holland, Sweden, Hungary, Poland as growers Local retail outlets Spanish contract growers Experimental farm UH ‘Law’ Municipal supportive strategy Industrial processor Foreign Co as owner Local contract growers Spanish contract growers Wholesalers Large retail chains product managers Small wholesalers Transport Min of Agriculture Subcontractors Chain restaurants Local school Regional Hospital Local chain restaurant Retail outlets Individual customers Farm Individual Organisation Partnership Market Domination/ hierarchy Social relation Industrial processors views Conventional large scale vegetable chain relations MM 020405

12. Jelgava 7.4.2005 Preliminary findings: The paradigmatic differences can partly be seen. However, the conventional vegetable chain also had a lot of partnership and social relations. How to understand the findings in terms of sustainability: ?