Brian Ilbery

Producer constructions of quality in regional speciality food production: a case study from south west England.

Abstract Within the context of recent concerns over potential health threats from BSE, E.Coli and genetically modified organisms, food quality is of increasing importance in contemporary British society. Thus food producers, retailers and government institutions are engaged in an attempt to reassure consumers that their food is of high quality and safe to consume. Yet, the concept of `quality’ is one which is contested, constructed and represented differently by diverse actors operating within a variety of regulatory and market arenas. The aim of this paper is to focus on one set of actors who interact to construct notions of quality within a niche market arena, namely small producers of regional speciality food products (SFPs) in the south west of England. It emerges that, despite new regulatory frameworks and consumer concerns, producers usually define quality in terms of product specification and attraction rather than through official certification schemes or association with region of origin. Food quality, however defined by producers, is essentially self-regulated and constructed within the context of maintaining stable relationships between producers and buyers. Furthermore, marketing is based on low-cost methods which demand a high personal input of time and energy from the entrepreneur. Quality, therefore, must be understood as a contested notion which is constructed by actors attempting to build stable and lasting networks between themselves and others within the market arena.

Alternative (shorter) food supply chains and specialist livestock products in the Scottish - English borders

In this paper findings are presented from survey work conducted with producers of specialist livestock products in the Scottish–English borders. Using supply-chain diagrams, the paper highlights how specialist livestock businesses operate individual or customised supply chains. The heterogeneity of surveyed producer initiatives throws into question both the simple conceptual distinction drawn between the labels ‘conventional’ and ‘alternative’ and also what is meant by a ‘short’ food supply chain. The starting point of the specialist food chain is clearly not the point of production but rather a series of upstream supply links—as is found in conventional food chains. Likewise, ‘alternative’ producers are regularly obliged, or choose, to ‘dip in and out’ of different conventional nodes downstream of the business, such as abattoirs, processors, and wholesalers. In practice, delimitations between ‘alternative’ and ‘conventional’ food supply chains are often blurred and are better characterised as ‘hybrid spaces’.

Product, Process and Place An Examination of Food Marketing and Labelling Schemes in Europe and North America

Considerable academic interest now revolves around the recomposition of specific (or ‘alternative’) food chains based on notions of quality, territory and social embeddedness.A key to such recomposition is the marketing of ‘difference’ through a range of accreditation and labelling schemes. Using examples from Europe and North America, this paper examines how ‘difference’ is constructed by producers and other actors in the food supply chain by combining the attributes of ‘product, process and place’ (PPP) in a range of marketing and labelling schemes. Results indicate that it is possible to identify ‘critical’ and ‘territorial development’ rationales that influence the ways in which the three Ps are combined. An examination of the rationales and practices sustaining such labelling schemes provides insights into some of the opportunities and threats shaping the emergence of new geographies of food production and consumption in Europe and North America.

The development of alternative farm enterprises: A study of family labour farms in the northern Pennines of England

Abstract This paper offers an empirical test of a middle-order theorisation of business change on family labour farms. The concept of ‘paths of farm business development’ is examined in the northern Pennines of England using discriminant analysis and 34 variables drawn from the published literature on the dynamics of the family farm. Farm indebtedness is shown to be the dominant variable discriminating between farms in the different pathways, although the exact role of farm debt varies between pathways. Farm families selecting the alternative farm enterprise (AFE) pathway can be divided between those that display ‘accumulation’ (principal AFE) and ‘survival’ (marginal AFE) behaviours. The findings are contextualised to the U.K. and an era of historically high interest rates and farm indebtedness.

Niche Markets and Regional Speciality Food Products in Europe: Towards a Research Agenda

Set within the context of recent rural restructuring in developed market economies, the authors examine the potential of niche markets for speciality food products (SFPs) to contribute towards rural development in peripheral (lagging) regions. Drawing on elements of regulation theory, actor-network approaches, and consumption studies, niche markets for SFPs are conceptualised as the outcomes of the intersecting activities of networks of producers, consumers, and institutions. On the basis of this conceptualisation and preliminary empirical evidence from a European research project, it is suggested that unique configurations of networks at local and regional levels, and their relationships to cxtralocal networks, will contribute to the success or failure of regional SFPs in promoting endogenous development. It is also argued that a focus on particular products, markets, and regions is required to gain a holistic understanding of the complex and contested network relationships through which niche markets for SFPs are constructed.

Mapping local foods: evidence from two English regions

Purpose – This paper sets out to engage with current debate over local foods and the emergence of what has been called an alternative food economy and to examine the distribution of local food activity in the South West and West Midlands regions of England.Design/methodology/approach – Databases on local food activity were constructed for each region from secondary sources. The data were mapped by means of choropleth mapping at postcode district level.Findings – Although local food activity is flourishing in the South West and, to a lesser extent, the West Midlands, it is unevenly distributed. Concentrations occur in both regions. These may relate to a variety of factors, including: proximity to urban centres and particular trunk roads, landscape designations and the geography of farming types. The products that tend to predominate – horticulture, dairy, meat and poultry – can either be sold directly to consumers with little or no processing, or remain readily identifiable and defining ingredients after b...

Exploring the dimensions of culture economies in rural West Wales

Many rural areas in developed market economies are now responding to globalization by trying to encourage a relocalization of production and consumption through the establishment of niche markets based on locally embedded skills, resources and knowledges. Such strategies can be theorized as features of a territorially based culture economy. By introducing notions of vertical and horizontal networks into this broad idea, the aim in this paper is to interrogate the nature and extent of the culture economy as a force for rural development in West Wales. The discussion draws on empirical material from research into four different product sectors: speciality beef and lamb, organic fruit, vegetables and meat, speciality cheese and artisanal crafts. Overall, the intention is to demonstrate the importance of considering the specific socio-cultural and economic contexts within which networks of development are constructed and to suggest that multiple cultural economies operate within and across different localities and sectors.

The Geography of Organic Farming in England and Wales in the 1990s

Little research has been conducted on the changing geographical distribution of organic farming in England and Wales in the 1990s. Using officially published secondary data, this paper examines the changing patterns of organic farming between 1993 and 1997, based on the number of organic farms, the area devoted to organic farming, the number of exits from and conversions to organic farming, and specific organic enterprises. The analysis indicates a process of spatial rationalisation, in which organic farming is becoming increasingly concentrated in a core area in Central‐Southern England. Further, more detailed work is required, of both an empirical and conceptual nature, before a full explanation of such patterns can be given.

Telematics and Rural Development Evidence From a Survey of Small Businesses in the European Union

Indigenous rural development in the peripheral regions of Europe could be encouraged through the uptake of telematics by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, little is known about patterns of and resistances towards the adoption of telematics in rural areas and there exists a view that the main beneficiaries will be larger businesses in core areas of economic activity. After a brief exploration of the relationships between telematics and rural development, this article reports the early findings of a research project on the use of, and attitudes towards, telematics among SMEs in seven rural regions of the European Union. Results indicate that the predominantly very small, independent and privately owned businesses make very limited use of telematics services, mainly because of a lack of awareness and inadequate training. The main business problems faced by these businesses — cashflow, marketing, lack of qualified staff, and information technology support- present opportunities for telematics in rural areas. Yet successful adoption of telematics applications will occur only if they are sympathetic to the needs of small rural businesses. The article concludes by suggesting some ways in which the benefits of telematics can favour peripheral rural areas as well as urban core areas.

Regional Economies of Local Food Production Tracing Food Chain Links Between ‘Specialist’ Producers and Intermediaries in the Scottish–English Borders

There is currently strong political desire at both European and national scales to ‘relocalize’ food production and supply. While advocacy remains high, few studies have interrogated the form of these ‘new’ food chains. This article provides an analysis of such chains in the Scottish–English borders. It traces supply links between small-scale ‘specialist’ food producers and associated intermediaries for three product sectors. Linking the two stages of the food chain together, the analysis shows differences within and between, as well as similarities across, sectors in terms of spatial and economic organization. It also reveals the ‘hybrid’ nature of specialist food chains in the region; local producers have created their own ‘niche spaces’ within the food system.The article thus contributes to debates on new agro-food geographies and regional economic geography and argues that local (specialist) small-scale enterprises do not usually establish food chains which are ‘independent’ of the wider food supply system.