International Symposium on Food Short Chain
International Symposium on Food Short Chain
from August 28 to September 2, 2014, the International Symposium on food short chain and local sustainable food system, sponsored by the Institute of rural development, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Meyer foundation for human progress, and hosted by China Foreign Agricultural Economic Research Association, was held in Beijing. More than 30 representatives from universities and research institutions, industrial departments and civil society organizations at home and abroad attended the seminar. The seminar was divided into two stages. The first stage was the inspection of farms and farmers' bazaars on August 29-31, and the second stage was the theoretical seminar on September 1-2.
The theme of the seminar is how small farms in the suburbs of large cities can adapt to the food needs of urban residents and the changes in the food supply and demand system to survive and develop, and then play an active role in improving the sustainability of the urban food system. The presentations and discussions revolved around four topics: the macro background of China's agricultural development, general thinking on food short chains and local sustainable food systems, community-supported agriculture, and the practice and thinking of developing ecological agriculture. Fourteen representatives made speeches at the meeting, and the participants also had a full discussion around the speeches. The main issues and views presented and discussed at the seminar were as follows:
two distinctly different perspectives emerged on the food security and food safety situation and their interplay. From a perspective, China's current objective reality is that, on the one hand, food is basically safe, but it has been tightening for a long time; on the other hand, the food safety situation is grim, but it is expected to be optimistic. Tight resource conditions and the environmental situation make it unlikely that the short-chain food model based on small-scale farms will become the mainstream model. Another perspective holds that the main reason for food security lies not in insufficient supply but in more other reasons; the productivity of ecological agriculture is not necessarily lower than that of conventional agriculture, but the application of appropriate production technology is important; guiding the concept of healthy consumption can reduce the demand for food quantity, and so on.
There was no big difference at the meeting on the analytical perspective and role orientation of food short chain. No one denies the positive significance of the food short chain model in health, food safety, and even the improvement of social management. However, some participants put forward a general perspective to examine the sustainability of the food system, that is, it is necessary to examine the sustainability of all links of the food supply chain from the economic, social, environmental and other dimensions, otherwise it will be difficult to justify. For example, advocating the development of local food systems may affect the systems of other regions; short food chains can achieve the sustainability of some food chains, but it is difficult to solve the sustainability of other food chains. Food short chain in its own healthy development at the same time how to generate and play to the conventional agriculture and food system reference is crucial.
There was an in-depth and meaningful dialogue on the meaning and logic of community-supported agriculture. Four representatives from home and abroad elaborated on the concept, practice and policy advocacy of community-supported agriculture from different perspectives. Afterwards, the participants had a heated discussion on the meaning, origin, translation, and development model of community-supported agriculture. Community-supported agriculture originated in Japan, and the core value is that producers and consumers share risks and values. After it was introduced to the United States, it was promoted worldwide and developed in different forms. There is a more consistent view that although the Chinese translation of "community-supported agriculture" is not appropriate enough, it has been established and does not need to be rigidly bound, and should agree with the specific practice and the diversity of connotation understanding.
Participatory certification (PGS), an alternative to formal certification of organic agriculture, was introduced and discussed at the meeting. China's organic food certification adopts an independent third-party agency fee certification system that refers to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) standards. For small and medium-sized farms, the formal certification conditions are too strict and the certification costs are too high. Relatively speaking, all kinds of participatory guarantee system is a certification system that provides quality assurance for the location. Under the premise of active participation of all relevant parties, the producer is certified, and a basic relationship of mutual trust, mutual communication and cognitive exchange is established. PGS is currently developing more in Latin America, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is in the stage of concept promotion and experiment in China. It still faces many problems from producer participation, consumer participation to organization and implementation.
As the highlight of the seminar, the new farmers and the organizers of the new farmers alliance also introduced the practice of the new farmers in developing ecological agriculture and the social value of the new farmers.
The organizers and participants of the conference made positive comments on the results of the conference, and pointed out that the conference is not the end, but a new starting point. All participants will continue to promote their own practice, research and thinking with the enlightenment obtained in the discussion of the meeting, and make their own efforts to improve the sustainability of the food system.
(Feeding: If so)