Experiencing justice and fairness in agroecological networks
Résumé
In an increasing number of studies and papers, the social and political dimensions and principles of agroecology are claimed to be what distinguishes agroecology from other ecologization paradigms or strong from weak agroecology. Among them, the notions of justice and fairness appear as central both in arguments and commitments and in certain specific practices that are experienced by agroecological networks. This communication explores the politics and the practice of justice and fairness, considering arguments and commitments but also actual practices developed in agroecological networks. Three main types of networks are considered here: producer-consumer CSA-type networks, which focus on justice and fairness between farmers and consumers (and sometimes between consumers), formal or informal producers groups which raise issues of fairness between farmers, and territorial agrifood policies which try to deal with justice and fairness within a larger range of social actors involved in the production, distribution and consumption of food. This analysis is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in such networks in France since 3 to 15 years, which also allows to assess changes in these politics and practice of justice and fairness partly due to internal and external controversies and to learning and reflexive processes but also to interactions between networks at various scales.