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Understanding sustainability transition of food network in China: from the perspective of cultural geography
Mr WANG Dezheng
( Supervisor: Prof Junxi Qian )
Abstract:
In today's world, climate change, environmental protection, and sustainable development have become urgent international concerns and significant contexts for human advancement. Highlighting the importance of technology-society co-evolution oriented towards sustainable development, the theory of sustainability transition (ST) has garnered increasing scholarly attention in recent years. Nevertheless, current research on ST lacks attention on food systems and cases from non-western and rural areas. The alternative food network (AFN), as a sustainability-driven social initiative and a burgeoning research area, calls for further investigation.
Building on the latest progress in both ST and AFN theories, this study explores the ongoing dynamics of niches, regimes, and landscapes of the AFN in China, driven propelled by social-technical interactions and manifested in everyday practices. From the perspective of cultural geography, three research questions are proposed: What role do sociocultural factors play in the transition process? How are these sociocultural factors, particularly sustainability itself, perceived, negotiated, and practiced? In comparison to its western and urban counterparts, how does the practice of sustainability transition differ in the social context of China and in urban-rural interactions within the AFN?
To address these inquiries, this study will first map out the broader landscape of the AFN in China. It will then select various types of AFN programs in both eastern/urban and mid-western/rural areas to investigate the emergence and progression of niches, as well as the (re)construction of AFN regimes based on a comparative research approach. The empirical analysis will employ a mix of methods, including in-depth interviews, quantitative GIS, big data mining, and regression analysis.
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