Food Movement between Autonomy and Coproduction of Public Policies
Lessons from Madrid
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Abstract
In the aftermath of the economic crisis, the food geography in the city of Madrid is being transformed. The urban unemployed began to engage in agriculture in periurban areas, creating new alliances between producers and consumers. The alternative food movement organized on the fringe gave way to agroecological civic platforms that are highly assertive, and a dialogue with political institutions has opened. A key moment in the advance of this proactive attitude came about in the municipal elections of May 2015. Activists ascended to positions of political power, the backdrop of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact created an opportunity for the food movement to move from protest to program, and public policies were permeated by agroecological principles.
Contributor Notes
Marian Simon-Rojo is an architect, has a PhD in urban and regional planning, and is an adjunct professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (Faculty of Architecture, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid). She was a participant in the COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe, 2012–2016. Marian is involved in master planning and has participated in various research projects on urbanism, agriculture, food systems, and public participation. She takes part in an integral food cooperative and in Madrid AgroEcológico. E-mail: m.simon@upm.es
Ines Morales Bernardos is a forest engineer and specialist in agroecology and organic farming. She is currently conducting a PhD at the Institute of Sociology and Peasant Studies (ISEC), University of Córdoba, Spain. She researches agroecologist urban movements in times of crisis, with case studies in Madrid, Athens, and Lisbon. As an activist, she has been involved in several agroecologist movements across Europe. E-mail: inesemeve@gmail.com
Jon Sanz Landaluze holds a doctorate in chemistry, analytical specialty, from the Basque Country University. Later he obtained a postdoctoral fellowship at the Complutense University of Madrid. Since 2005 he has been a professor at the university and participates in research on the determination of pollutant organic compounds and metal speciation in food and environmental samples. He has been one of the promoters of HuertAula Cantarranas since its inception in 2010 and participates in various agroecological projects in Madrid. E-mail: jsanzlan@ucm.es