DINING ON RECIPROCITY IN LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS: TOWARDS A MORAL ECONOMY OF FOODS

Abstract

China has witnessed a growing number of social and environmental challenges, which remain obstacles for its rural vitalization. At the core of the discussion on sustainable agriculture and rural development lies the development of sustainable food systems. This article conducts a case study and examines a local food network which has created a reciprocity mechanism between smallholder producers and consumers. The discussion puts a particular emphasis on the interaction between sustainable consumption and production initiatives in the process of achieving the network’s ecological goals. Based on the discussion and findings, the study concludes by proposing to draw on the concept of the moral economy and constructing “a moral economy of foods†to conceptualize social structure of local food systems. In a re- localization process of “local cultural repertoires of foodsâ€, while protocols of certification and traceability could constitute conclusive proofs of the moral economy of foods, a belief in sustainable food systems would stand the moral economy itself in good stead in a time when trust and confidence in the foods labeled “organic†are diminished. The findings presented in the study may have significant implications for designing policies for rural vitalization in China and promoting transitions to more sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods.