Innovation and recognition of food and farming styles

Urban Farm DB summary

A conceptual essay (Wageningen Academic Publishers, 2013) contrasts the "productionist paradigm" in agriculture—criticized for reducing biodiversity, increasing erosion, harming animal welfare, depleting resources and widening rich-poor gaps despite feeding the world—with an "agrosystem" approach rooted in local farming practices, including variants such as agrarianism (farmer-led) and urban gardening (consumer-led). The paper proposes a revised, pluralist agrosystem framework built on negotiation and cooperation between farmers and consumers, redefining justice as fair recognition of diverse farming and food styles rather than fair distribution of outputs alone.