Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Now, farmers can choose from a range of different farmers' markets to sell their products
and negotiation processes appear to have become key elements of the niche. For example,
organizers visit farmers and invite them to choose 'their' market. The consumers involved
in the niche often share lists of farmers and information about them. The farmers also
share information about market organizers and their approaches. The most popular actors
in the initiative can freely choose with whom they want to cooperate.
In Santorini, the winery visits and the new type of quality wine directly marketed on
the island could not have been initiated and stabilized without close partnerships with
actors in the tourism sector. The niche created new networks, especially with the tourist
sector, which until that time existed in parallel with agriculture, sometimes depriving
agriculture of land and labour. To date, there are two specialist tourism agencies that
provide exclusive wine tours of the island. Most wineries have arrangements with tour
operators to include their facilities in the tours, as well as individual agreements with
hotels to direct guests to wineries as an alternative tourism experience. Without such
partnerships, the first steps of niche development as well as its first institution-based
anchorage would have failed.
Initial anchoring
In all three case studies, the first steps of anchoring with the regime were initiated by the
niche tandems described above, building a strong link between two sub-regimes. Put
another way, the niche, understood as a 'locus of radical innovation' (Geels, 2010), was
limited during the first steps of anchoring to a few of the sub-regimes involved in
transition processes initiated by AAFNs: in Pilsen and Rennes, only two of the three sub-
regimes were involved; in Santorini only one of the three sub-regimes was involved, in
association with another regime (tourism).
Different processes played a converging role in the first steps of anchoring, and
illustrate the three dimensions - technical, network and institutional anchoring -
elaborated by Elzen
et al.
(2012). A common perspective on these anchoring processes is
provided by the development of an alternative and holistic vision of quality, and of a
strategy of increased autonomy toward the agri-food regime. The first steps of anchoring
were enabled by the behaviour of niche initiators.
In Pilsen and Santorini, technological and institutional anchoring was enabled by
actors bringing new ideas or technical innovations into the food sector: new food
marketing solutions in Pilsen and new techniques of winemaking in Santorini. In both
cases, the main network anchoring was based on activities undertaken by 'outsiders'
(actors who originally did not belong to the sector). However, in Pilsen these actors either
had a close relationship with gastronomy (conferences, competitions, exhibitions) or were
engaged in experiments with different AAFNs (such as box-schemes and consumer
groups). Organizing a farmers' market was, thus, a continuation of previous efforts which
reflected an anticipated social demand. In Santorini, the well-known winemaker who
initiated the production of quality wine along with offering tourism services was a new
entrant in the area but had long experience of winemaking in Greece. The two individual
winemakers who followed were new entrants into agriculture, returning to their home
region after studying in urban centres. New entrants have also come from traditional
family
businesses.
Together,
these
stakeholders
have
created
the
'Winemakers
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