Transformative

SocialInnovation:

SLOWFOOD

MOVEMENTAsummaryofthecasestudyreportontheSlowFoodMovement

ThisprojecthasreceivedfundingfromtheEuropeanUnion’sSeventhFrameworkProgrammeforresearch,

technologicaldevelopmentanddemonstrationundergrantagreementno613169

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AboutTRANSIT:

TRANSIT is an international research project that aims to develop a theory ofTransformative Social Innovation that is useful to both research and practice. It is co‐fundedbytheEuropeanCommissionandrunsforfouryears, from2014until2017.TheTRANSITconsortiumconsistsof12partnersacrossEuropeandLatinAmerica.Formoreinformation,pleasevisitourwebsite:http://www.transitsocialinnovation.eu/.

AboutthisDocument/Disclaimer:

ThisisasummaryofacasestudyreportontheSlowFoodMovement.Both,thecasestudyreports and this summary, were guided by empirical research questions based upon apreliminaryconceptualframeworkoftheTRANSIT‐project.Thesequestionsconcerninteralia:

1. EmergenceofSocialInnovation2. TransformativeSocialInnovationdynamics3. Agencyin(Transformative)SocialInnovation

This summarypresents the interpretations of the researchers, anddoes not necessarilyreflect the views and nuances of the initiatives and respondents themselves. For a fullaccount of each transnational network and local case, including interview quotes andexpressednuancesbyrespondents,werefer to thecasestudyreport,which isavailablevia communication.transit@ihs.nl. Both the case study report, as well as this summarydocument,isthebasisforfutureresearchactivitiesandpublications.

Acknowledgements:Wewould like to thank the collaborationof all the interviewees for their openness andavailability. We are especially grateful to Alberto López de Ipiña and to ValentinaBassanese,fromSlowFoodfortheircollaborationandsupport.ForthelocalcasestudyonSlowFoodFreiburg,wewanttothankthemembersofthisinitiativewhowereremarkablecooperative during the interviews and participant observations. Additional, wewant toacknowledgeElkeFeinforhervaluablecommentsandsuggestions.

Suggestedcitation:

Dumitru, A., Lema‐Blanco, I., Kunze, I. & García‐Mira, R. (2016). Transformative SocialInnovation: Slow FoodMovement.A summary of the case study report on the Slow FoodMovement.TRANSIT:EUSSH.2013.3.2‐1Grantagreementno:613169

Date: 22ndofJanuary2016Authors: AdinaDumitru,IsabelLema‐Blanco,IrisKunze,RicardoGarcía‐Mira

Contact: communication.transit@ihs.nl

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Tableofcontents

1. IntroductiontotheSlowFoodMovement.............................................................4

2. TheEmergenceofSocialInnovation.......................................................................6

3. TransformativeSocialInnovationdynamics........................................................8

4. Agencyin(Transformative)SocialInnovation.................................................10

5. References......................................................................................................................12

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1. IntroductiontotheSlowFoodMovement

The Slow Foodmovement has been defined as a “culturemovement” (Petrini, 2005)based on the intrinsic value of local production, that critiques the globalized anddelocalized food production system (Roos et al ,2007). Slow Food is also a countermovementwhich “representsanactofrebellionagainstacivilisationbasedonthesterileconceptsofproductivity,quantityandmassconsumption,destroyinghabits,traditionsandwaysoflife,andultimatelytheenvironment”(PetriniinHodgson&Toyka,2007:138).Anextended scientific work has studied the emergence of the Slow Food movement, itsevolution, rhetoric, politic and social impact in the global and local context (Andrews,2008; Sassatelio & Davolio, 2010; Kjorstad, 2007; Siniscalchi, 2013; Hall, 2012, Peace,2006; Scheneider, 2008:398). Besides, SlowFood pioneers and leaders have publishedrelevant documents to disseminate their philosophy and discourses (Carlo Petrini,Vandana Shiva, AliceWalters, Piero Sardo), particularly relevant examples are “Buono,pulitoegiusto.Principidinuovagastronomia”(Petrini,2005),“Slowfoodrevolution:Anewculture fordining& living” (Petrini & Padovani, 2006) or the more recent “Slow foodnation:Whyourfoodshouldbegood,clean,andfair”(Petrinietal,2013).

TheSlowFoodmovement,foundedinBra(Italy)in1986,iscoordinatedtheSlowFoodInternational Association. The international network is present in 160 countriesthroughouttheworldwith1.500convivia(localgroups)formedby100.000affiliatesand1.000.000ofsupporters.SlowFoodalsocountswithseveralnationalassociations(Italy,Germany,Switzerland,USA,Japan,Netherlands,Brazil,KenyaandSouthKorea),twoSlowFood International Foundations: The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and theTerraMadreFoundationandoneUniversityofGastronomicSciences(Italy).Thisstudywill focuson theSlowFoodmovement.Theresearchreviews theorigin,evolutionandorganization of the Slow Food International Association and two European localmanifestations:the“ConviviumSlowFoodAraba‐Vitoria”(theBasqueCountry,Spain)and the “Convivium Freiburg‐Südbaden” (Germany). We will analyse the ambitions,activities and discourses of change developed by the association during its almost 30yearsofhistory.Specially,wewillfocusonthesocialdynamicsandtheagencyprocessesthatexplaintheirsocialimpact,politicalinfluenceandcapacityofsocialtransformation.

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Figure1:maprepresentationofSlowFoodMovement.

Source:MapadaptedbytheauthorsfromtheSlowFoodWebsite:http://www.slowfood.com/international/4/where‐we‐are

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2. TheEmergenceoftheSocialInnovation

SlowFood isaglobalassociation thatpursuescultural,environmentalandsocialgoalsbuiltaroundthe“centralityoffood”,contributingtocriticalglobaldiscoursesthatproposesustainablelifestylesandresponsibleconsumption.Thenetworkisconsidereda“newsocialmovement”(Schneider,2008)thatrepresentsan“actofrebellion” against the unsustainable economic system that destroys food habits,cultureandlifestyles(Petrini inHodgson&Toyka,2007). SlowFoodwasborn inItalyin1986,undertheleadershipofthejournalistandsocialactivistCarloPetrini,asacounter‐movementthatconfrontedtheupcomingconceptoffastfood,aiming“to supportanddefendgood food,gastronomicpleasureanda slowpaceof life. Itthen broadened its sights to embrace the quality of life, local and globalsustainabilitydevelopmentandbiodiversityconservation” (Irving&Ceriani, 2013).TheSlowFoodmovementproposesaholisticvisionofgastronomyandprovidespolitical and pragmatic alternatives to face the main global social challenges,claiminganeweconomyandnewsocialrelationsanddefendingtherightto“good,cleanandfair“food‐andfoodsecurity‐astheprimaryhumanrighttoensure.SlowFoodparticularlydefends“therighttopleasure”,relatingpleasure,socialactivismandpoliticalcommitmentbothinlocalandinternationalspheres.

The international network is headquartered in Bra (Italy) and since 1989 themovement has spread out over 160 countries promoting the emergence ofgrassroots local manifestations ‐called “convivia”‐ in both the global north andsouth.Themovementenhancesenhancingthelocalandsustainabledevelopmentof rural communities and the preservation of the local cultures and biodiversitythrough intervention projects (“ArkofTaste”,“Presidia”,“Earthmarkets”or“FoodCommunities”), creating thousands of “food communities”worldwide that “breakthecycleofwholesale,donotcompetingwiththebigbrandsbutgenerateconsumerdemand of good local products, creating short marketing circuits that enhancedifferentanddirect relationshipsbetween consumerandproducer. Italso involvesinnovationinproductsales"and"stablebuycommitments"(quote:SFAV_07).

SlowFood is considered a relevantpoliticalactor and a reliable interlocutor tointernational organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO) or the European Union. They participate in internationalpanelsanddebates(e.g.theUNPermanentForumonIndigenousIssues(USA);theUN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 (Brazil) and theirwork hasreceivednumerousawardsandtheacknowledgementoftheinternationalmedia.

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Figure2:timelineofSlowFoodMovement.

Source:timelinecreatedbytheauthorsbasedonSlowFood´sprimarydocumentsandinterviews.

Figure3:case‐demarcationoftheSlowFoodMovement.

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3. TransformativeSocialInnovationdynamics

The Slow Food philosophy transcends the food area to propose sustainablelifestyles and a new food system based on a change of relations betweenconsumersandsmalllocalfoodproducers.Theiraims,valuesandactivitieshavedramaticallyevolvedovertime,handlingnewsocietalneedsandgoals;becomingamodernsocialmovementnamed“eco‐gastronomy”.SlowFoodpractitionersclaim“the right to pleasure”, the pleasure of food, enhancing human relations andconviviality with family and friends. Slow Food proposes a consumption modelwherepeopleareno longerconsumers,butco‐producers inademocraticsociety(in a similar meaning that political consumption approaches propose the term‘prosumer’).

SlowFoodhasbeenabletointroducenewwaysofknowing,doingandrelatingin (mainly local) food systems, basedon trust relationsbetween foodproducersand consumers. The network posits a change in market relations, fromcompetition to collaboration and sharing knowledge: “Of coursewehelp eachother.Ihavenoproblemtohelpsomeone,toshowthemhowwedid.Iwishwewouldbemoreorganizeandbeabletosupplyalllocaldemand.Iwasdelightedtoexplaineverybodywhoaskedforhelp”(quote:SFAV_10).Besides, local consumption also involves changes in food demanding, sociallifestyles and relations. Eating is a pleasure experience, which relates totradition, family and cultural roots.“Wearemissingthepause,timeforrelaxation,to talk things quietly. It isunusualnowadays, but it is important. (...) I like quiet.Enjoy a little chat. We're talking about ancient things that we are graduallyreturning”(quote:SFAV_03).

Source:SlowFoodInternationalAssociationwebsite.

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Slow Food activists are firmly confident about their capacity to contribute tosocial, political and systemic change, regarding food production andconsumption but also concerning local and rural development, environmentalprotectionandenvironmentaleducation.Despitebeingaminority, theyconsiderthat individual consumption decisions have direct impact on local context andenvironment: “Weareaminority,butwehave theability to influence, to changethings gradually, through food education activities that change individualconsumptiondecisions”(quote:SFAV_02).SlowFoodleadershaveperceived,inthelasttenyears,apositivechangeinsocietaldiscoursesespeciallyrelatedtotheincreasing awareness in health issues and the right to access to quality: “weperceiveaglobalsocialchange,especially in theUnitedStates,where the fast foodphilosophy was born” (quote: di Croce, 2015). Slow Food has been able toinfluence,inacertainway,localandregionalpublicpolicies.Theinternationalnetwork has signed numerous agreements with national governments (Brazil,Colombia, Mexico, Chile, China, South Korea. etc.), counselling them in thedevelopmentof public policies, beingaswell a key interlocutor to theEuropeanUnionorFAO.

SlowFoodCampaign:TerraMadeDay.Source:SlowFoodWebsite

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4. Agencyin(Transformative)SocialInnovation

InthissectionweanalysetheagencyprocessesthatemergewithintheSlowFoodmovement,therelationbetweenmotivationsandprocessesofempowermentandhowand inwhatextentagency ismanifested in the internationalnetwork.Fromtheanalysisoftheinternationalandlocalorganizations(SlowFoodAraba‐Vitoria,inSpain,andSlowFoodFreiburg,inGermany)anumberofstrategiesarisetofulfilthe needs and ambitions of their members and enhancing individual andcollectiveempowermentprocesses:

Developingacommonidentity,acollectivevisionofchange,amissionthattranscends the local context and engage with other like‐minded peopleworldwide.

Byformulatingacoherentdiscourseofchange,presentingthenetworkasaconsistentminoritywith transformativecapability through their localandglobalactivity.

Discourse of belongingness to a group that share your values and fulfilpeople´sneedsofautonomy,relatednessandcompetence.

Autonomousgovernancestructurethat permits the experimentationof freedom and autonomy ofaction.

External governance andnetworking activity to gain socialandpoliticalinfluence.

The Slow Food discourse connects withindividualneedsandaimsthatseemtobefulfilledbyorwithintheinitiative.Deci&Ryan´sSelf‐DeterminationTheory(2000),explain agency phenomena in terms ofthemeaningofeventstoindividuals,andtheirsignificanceforpeople’sattemptstosatisfytheirbasicpsychologicalneedsforcompetence, autonomy, and relatedness.The social innovation is able to fulfil those intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in terms of consistence with people's personal values and ideologies, contribution to one´s community in a meaningful way; the

Slow Food activists experience similarhumanneedsandmotivations:

Needforautonomy. Needforconnectedness. Need of livingcoherentlywith the

own values. Aim to develop theirprofessional careers according totheirownvalues.

Aim to contribute to one´scommunityinameaningfulway.

Aim of preserving local identityand connection with the past ofone´s community, through theprotection of the cultural andculinaryheritage.

Aimtoact locally andworking inatransformativeproject.

Aim to give back to peasants,farmers and food producers theirdignityandacknowledgement.

Aim to protect the environmentand preserve (food) biodiversity.

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preservation of local identity and connection with the past of one´s community or Giving back to peasants, farmers and food producers their dignity and acknowledgement. SlowFoodhasdevelopedsymbolicandpersuasiverhetoricthatreinforces“thesense of being a member of a global community”, basis for agency andempowerment aswell as for scalingupprocesses. SlowFood leaders emphasizethe emotional links among food, pleasure, “hedonismand conviviality”, but alsothey highlight the connections with the past of one´s community, their culture,their traditions, landscape and place attachment. The network also developsempowerment processes that enhance individual and collective power. In thissense, the network supports a vision of distributed leadership. Autonomousgovernance structures create spaces for local leadership and social engagement.The local convivia strengthen the participation of their members throughflexibility,openness,mutualsupportandfriendshiprelations.SlowFoodactivistsdevelop a sense of personal power when they perceive that are capable tocontribute to their community in a meaningful way. Collective empowermentarises through the external recognition and international support that the socialinitiative receivesand their capacity tocreate synergiesandallianceswithothersocial initiatives and public institutions as well as influence international andregionalpolicies.

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5. References

Andrews,G.(2008).Theslowfoodstory:Politicsandpleasure.Montreal:McGill‐Queen’sUniversityPress.

Deci,E.L.,&Ryan,R.M.(2000).The“what"and“why"ofgoalpursuits:Humanneedsandtheself‐determinationofbehavior.Psychologicalinquiry,11(4),227‐268.

Hall,C.M.(2012).Thecontradictionsandparadoxesofslowfood:Environmentalchange,sustainabilityandtheconservationoftaste.Slowtourism:Experiencesandmobilities,53‐68.

Hodgson,P.H.,&Toyka,R.(Eds.).(2007).TheArchitect,thecookandgoodtaste.Berlin:BirkhauserVerlagAG.

Irving,J.&Ceriani,S.(2013).Slowfoodcompanion.Slowfood(Disseminationbrochure).

Kjørstad,I.(2007).SlowFood.Counteractingfastfoodandfastliving.Proceedings:casesinsustainableconsumptionandproduction:WorkshopoftheSustainableResearchExchange(SCORE).http://score‐network.org/files/9594_Proceedings_worshop.07.pdf#page=189

LópezdeIzpina,A.(2015).ConferenceinUniversityoftheBasqueCountry.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oJOfW4T8XM

Peace,A.(2008).TerraMadre2006:Politicaltheaterandritualrhetoricintheslowfoodmovement.http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2008.8.2.31?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Petrini,C.(2005).Buono,pulitoegiusto.Principidinuovagastronomia,Einaudi,Torino.

Petrini,C.,&Padovani,G.(2006).Slowfoodrevolution:Anewculturefordining&living.RizzoliIntlPubns.

Petrini,C.(2013).Slowfoodnation:Whyourfoodshouldbegood,clean,andfair.RizzoliPublications.

Roos,G.,Terragni,L.,&Torjusen,H.(2007).Thelocalintheglobal–creatingethicalrelationsbetweenproducersandconsumers.Anthropologyoffood,(S2).

Sassatelli,R.,&Davolio,F.(2010).Consumption,PleasureandPoliticsSlowFoodandthepolitico‐aestheticproblematizationoffood.JournalofConsumerCulture,10(2),202‐232.http://joc.sagepub.com/content/10/2/202.short

Schneider,S.(2008).Good,clean,fair:TherhetoricoftheSlowFoodmovement.CollegeEnglish,384‐402.http://www.jstor.org/stable/25472277

Siniscalchi,V.(2013).Environment,regulationandthemoraleconomyoffoodintheSlowFoodmovement.JournalofPoliticalEcology,20,295‐305.SlowFoodInternationalAssociationwebsite:http://www.slowfood.comSlowFoodConviviumAraba‐Vitoria(theBasqueCountry,Spain),Website:http://slowfoodaraba.esSlowFoodConviviumFreiburg‐Südbaden(Germany),Website:https://www.slowfood.de/slow_food_vor_ort/freiburg/genussfuehrer