Transitional Moments, Mediators, and Alternative Modernities

The articles presented in this issue explore familiar anthropological territory. The authors examine the ways that farmers and other food system actors adapt in the context of changing markets, negotiating pressures to abandon the “traditional” in favor of the “modern.” Although the themes investigated in this set of articles may be well-known, the authors’ innovative approaches illuminate new areas of inquiry. In particular, they focus on the role played by intermediaries, such as eco-resort owners, development agents, scientists, activists, and even applied anthropologists, who attempt to mediate or broker a transition from the “old” (which is often framed as faulty) to the “new” (which is often framed as more modern or healthier for consumers or the planet). These intermediaries learn through their interactions with farmers and villagers, and play influential roles, both positive and negative, in shaping the development of food system health and resilience. In Ghana, scientists and activists push back against alleged advancements in favor of local empowerment. In other cases, such as in Bali, we see how food system actors undermine community resilience through an uncritical acceptance of modernization. In Florida, we see how activists miss essential aspects of structural inequality and environmental justice, even as they attempt to improve food access in a marginalized neighborhood. These papers underscore the value of nuanced ethnographic analysis of what happens in these transitional zones and moments when powerful actors push for change. In Understanding Food System Resilience in Bali, Indonesia: A Moral Economy Approach, Thomas Reuter examines change over time in Bali's food system. Recognizing the moral complexities inherent in the food system, Reuter identifies points at which food security has been reduced as a result of modernization and the breakdown of social relations. His extensive ethnographic work over several decades shows how these moral components are fundamental to a healthy and secure food system in Bali. Joeva Rock identifies a different set of relationships in “We Are Not Starving:” Challenging Genetically Modified Seeds and Development in Ghana. Rock delves into the narratives surrounding genetic modification in Ghana, where local scientists and anti-GMO activists have come together to challenge assertions of dire need for GMO products made by biotechnology firms and the donor network that supports them. In rejecting the narrative that genetic modification is the only route to food security, Ghanaians embrace a new postcolonial, sovereign food system. In Hungry, Hungry Gringos: Solving the Problems Posed by Feeding Tourists, Lauren Miller Griffith examines the ways that tourist demands for salads impact the lives of villagers in the Cayo District of Belize. In order to satisfy desires for leafy greens, which are not typically grown here and may be ill-suited to local environmental conditions, farmers draw from a variety of knowledge sources as they learn to grow new crops and experiment with organic modes of production. Drawing on the perspectives and experiences of villagers working in a luxury eco-resort, Griffiths emphasizes the agency and creativity involved in this process. In Cosmovisions and Farming Praxis: An Investigation of Conventional and Alternative Farmers along the Willamette River, Melissa M. Parks and Christine Anderson Brekken explore how farmers’ social and economic experiences inform their environmental values and, ultimately, farming practices. Recognizing that “conventional” and “alternative” agriculture are not clearly delineated dichotomous categories, the authors show that there is variation within groups of self-identified conventional and alternative farmers as well as similarities between the two groups. A better understanding of how farmers’ cosmovisions inform their agricultural practices can improve outreach efforts that aim to lessen agriculture's environmental impact. In All's Well That Ends Well: How Alabama Farmers Marketers “Last Stand” Against Modernity Was Finally Resolved, applied anthropologists Kathryn S. Oths, Katy M. Groves, and Toni J. Copeland examine the conflicts that arose when the City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama proposed to relocate a long-standing farmers market to a new, more “modern” facility on the revitalized Black Warrior riverfront. Using cultural consensus analysis, the authors highlight points of convergence and divergence in the viewpoints of farmers and customers involved in this debate, which resulted in the creation of two separate farmers markets. They provide insight into what is at stake when city planners attempt to “upgrade” farmers markets to cater to more upscale shoppers, and the role that applied anthropologists can play in researching and potentially “growing consensus” between farmers, customers, and city officials. Sarah Grace Davenport and Joanna Mishtal explore divergent understandings of environmental justice in Whose Sustainability: An Analysis of a Community Farming Program's Food Justice and Environmental Sustainability Agenda. The authors worked with a nonprofit urban farming program in Florida that was expanding from its initial territory of a white, middle-class neighborhood into a poorer African American neighborhood. The program's volunteers were largely uninformed about the social and historical context of their new setting and emphasized environmental over community benefits, erasing the realities of environmental injustice and structural racism. The final piece in this issue is a research report by Jonathan Malindine entitled Prehistoric Aquaculture: Origins, Implications, and an Argument for Inclusion. Malindine surveys the global archeological record as it relates to prehistoric management of aquatic resources. He argues that the purposeful and consistent manipulation of the aquatic environment by prehistoric people constitutes a form of agriculture and domestication. The tendency to identify a group as either foraging or agricultural leaves aquaculture in a liminal space. Malindine suggests an inclusive approach to better recognize the technological and ecological adaptations made by prehistoric, coastal populations

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