Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing

In the dedication page of Beyond Alternative Food Networks, Grasseni quotes from Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: "There can be no doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience." Her selection may serve as an indicator that Grasseni's experience as a member of a sol...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Holly A. Chaille
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems 2016-09-01
Series:Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/332
_version_ 1827852582470549504
author Holly A. Chaille
author_facet Holly A. Chaille
author_sort Holly A. Chaille
collection DOAJ
description In the dedication page of Beyond Alternative Food Networks, Grasseni quotes from Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: "There can be no doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience." Her selection may serve as an indicator that Grasseni's experience as a member of a solidarity purchase group (a group of people who purchase directly from growers and producers) is the basis for her argument that these community collaboratives can be powerful structures for addressing and improving more than local food issues. A conscientiously systematic and democratic approach that stresses inclusion as opposed to homogeneity, she posits, can be applied more broadly within communities to address economic sustainability. Grasseni's writing style reflects her strong research background; she takes care to explain that as a member of one such solidarity purchase group, the Gruppo di Acquisto Solidale (GAS) that she is highlighting, she is practicing "engaged anthropology," a theoretical term for participating in a process while observing it. In fact, her involvement as a gasista is critical to her research, making her an expert witness for her case. Grasseni sets out to explain how the food provisioning models utilized in Italy are not merely food buying clubs or access points, but very promising transformative economic models. She argues that healthy GAS models empower their members to think of themselves as more than a collective of consumers. They develop the potential power to become change agents within their local regions, capable of affecting local supply and demand decisions in ways that prioritize people and the environment above cost....
first_indexed 2024-03-12T10:51:23Z
format Article
id doaj.art-4d338d88cf3e4f0fbebad548db271cd7
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2152-0801
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-12T10:51:23Z
publishDate 2016-09-01
publisher Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
record_format Article
series Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
spelling doaj.art-4d338d88cf3e4f0fbebad548db271cd72023-09-02T06:52:38ZengLyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food SystemsJournal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development2152-08012016-09-014210.5304/jafscd.2014.042.009332Leveraging Social Change Through Collective PurchasingHolly A. ChailleIn the dedication page of Beyond Alternative Food Networks, Grasseni quotes from Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: "There can be no doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience." Her selection may serve as an indicator that Grasseni's experience as a member of a solidarity purchase group (a group of people who purchase directly from growers and producers) is the basis for her argument that these community collaboratives can be powerful structures for addressing and improving more than local food issues. A conscientiously systematic and democratic approach that stresses inclusion as opposed to homogeneity, she posits, can be applied more broadly within communities to address economic sustainability. Grasseni's writing style reflects her strong research background; she takes care to explain that as a member of one such solidarity purchase group, the Gruppo di Acquisto Solidale (GAS) that she is highlighting, she is practicing "engaged anthropology," a theoretical term for participating in a process while observing it. In fact, her involvement as a gasista is critical to her research, making her an expert witness for her case. Grasseni sets out to explain how the food provisioning models utilized in Italy are not merely food buying clubs or access points, but very promising transformative economic models. She argues that healthy GAS models empower their members to think of themselves as more than a collective of consumers. They develop the potential power to become change agents within their local regions, capable of affecting local supply and demand decisions in ways that prioritize people and the environment above cost....https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/332Alternative Food NetworksSolidarity Purchase Groups
spellingShingle Holly A. Chaille
Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Alternative Food Networks
Solidarity Purchase Groups
title Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing
title_full Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing
title_fullStr Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing
title_full_unstemmed Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing
title_short Leveraging Social Change Through Collective Purchasing
title_sort leveraging social change through collective purchasing
topic Alternative Food Networks
Solidarity Purchase Groups
url https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/332
work_keys_str_mv AT hollyachaille leveragingsocialchangethroughcollectivepurchasing