In recent years, Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) have been a key issue both in the scientific community and in public debates. This is due to their profound implications for rural development, local sustainability, and bio-economics. This edited collection discusses what the main determinants of the participation of operators both consumers and producers in AFNs are, what the conditions for their sustainability are, what their social and environmental effects are, and how they are distributed geographically. Further discussions include the effect of AFNs in structuring the food chain and how AFNs can be successfully scaled up.
The authors explicitly take an interdisciplinary approach to analyse AFNs from different perspectives, using as an example the Italian region of Piedmont, a particularly interesting case study due to the diffusion of AFNs in the area, as well as due to the fact that it was in this region that the Slow Food movement originated.
Part I: Introductions.
Chapter 1: Introduction.
Chapter 2: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Alternative Food Networks.
Part II: AFNs from the Consumers Viewpoint.
Chapter 3: Introduction to Part II.
Chapter 4: Determinants of Participation in AFNs and its Value for Consumers.
Chapter 5: Consumers Quality Conventions in Alternative, Conventional and High-Quality Food Chains.
Chapter 6: The Environmental Quality Factors sought by Consumers in Alternative and Conventional Market Channels.
Chapter 7: Understanding Alternative Food Networks after the Crisis: Testing Four Scenarios in Italy.
Part III: AFNs From the Producers Viewpoint .
Chapter 8: Introduction to Part III.
Chapter 9: Determinants ol#,
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