"Innovative markets" as drivers of sustainable food value chains? Insights from short food supply chains' models of development

Résumé En

Short food supply chains remain often reduced to rudiments of the past or activist movements while their diversity is much more larger, especially in Mediterranean countries where they caver both traditional forms (open-air markets...) and new ones (community-supported agriculture, online platform...). Beyond these selling forms, different models of development can be identified, through the orientation given to short food chains, the actors and alliances which are favoured, the innovations which are promoted or rejected. In this communication, from a long-lasting action-research and network leadership on short food supply chains in France, we highlight and discuss how each of these development models addresses sustainable agriculture, agroecology, and sustainable food. This approach allows going farer than the promotion of specific forms of short supply chain as the best ones to favour sustainable food value chains. lt also gives new arguments to support the development of horizontal and territorial collective organisations around local food, in a social innovation and food democracy perspective. Concrete examples will be provided to better capture these issues.