Climate change is exerting a significant and disparate influence on the agri-food systems across the globe. At the same time the climatic and ecological impacts generated by the entire agri-food chain accentuate the instability and precariousness of agri-food systems (McGreevy et al., 2022). Attention to such questions is critical to understanding social, political and economic transformation broadly in the time of climate change (Paprocki & McCarthy, 2024). In this context, a variety of responses are emerging, which include traditional continuity, (further) agro-industrial intensification, and attempts to adapt through the introduction of new species, primarily exotic. These responses, however, give rise to significant questions in relation to the actors involved, the decision-making processes and power relations and spaces, as well as perceptions, narratives and the distribution of related risks and benefits (Moragues-Faus and Marsden, 2017; Jacobi et al., 2021).

The objective of this session is to examine the emergence of novel agri-food landscapes in Southern Europe (Mediterranean area) as a testing ground for innovative adaptive agricultural practices. This is particularly relevant in light of the IPCC (WGI 2021: 95) emphasising the likelihood of an increase in hydrological and agricultural/ecological droughts and fire weather conditions in the region.

We invite contributions that primarily investigate:

1. The socio-ecological aspects of the agri-food transition, including changes in production practices and food landscapes, and their associated territorial effects.

2. The critical assessment of adaptive agricultural practices: political ecologies, including those pertaining to water issues, the utilisation of microorganisms, and the reduction of biological control of ecosystems, will also be considered.

3. Food narratives associated with the transitions of new products that may become ‘local’ (such as tropical fruits in Southern Italy, highland vineyards, and others) through food fashions or the formation of new food cultural identities (Delatin Rodrigues & Di Quarto, 2023).

References

Jacobi, J., Villavicencio Valdez, G.V. & Benabderrazik, K. (2021). Towards political ecologies of food. Nature Food 2, 835–837

McGreevy, et al (2022). Sustainable agrifood systems for a post-growth world. Nature Sustainability

Moragues-Faus A., Marsden T. (2017). The political ecology of food: Carving ‘spaces of possibility’ in a new research agenda. Journal of Rural Studies, 55: 275-288.

Paprocki, K., & McCarthy, J. (2024). The agrarian question of climate change. Progress in Human Geography, 0(0): 1-25

Delatin Rodrigues, D., & Di Quarto, F. (2023). Sistemi agro-alimentari in transizione: gli effetti del cambiamento climatico in alcune regioni italiane. Rivista Geografica Italiana, (4).