Restructuring Global and Regional Agricultures : Transformations in Australasian Agri-Food Economies and Spaces

First published in 1999, this collection of papers represents the latest thinking on the effects of globalisation and agri-food restructuring from a regional and peripheral perspective. The book breaks new ground in our understanding of the relationship between the global, regional and local levels in the sphere of agri-food production. While Australia and New Zealand are important components of the agri-food system, the economic and political decisions which impact at the regional and local level are usually made elsewhere - often in the boardrooms of global companies and the political institutions of Europe and North America. At the same time, however, Australia and New Zealand have sought to establish some independent room for manoeuvre. In Australia this can be seen in the targeting of consumers in South East Asia, and New Zealand has experienced both sweeping deregulation and niche marketing of goods such as organic produce. The success or failure of these strategies cannot currently be determined, but this invaluable collection presents and discusses some possible future scenarios. Featuring 31 specialists in sociology, geography, social anthropology, veterinary science, environmental studies and sustainable development, it is a product of the Agri-Food Research Network. The volume includes 19 essays which attempt to conceptualise a series of global trends and their local ramifications, explore Australian and New Zealand experiences of agri-food restructuring in historic, ideological and discursive terms, and analyse local policy and politics and the influence on rural producers, along with studying four key concepts underpinning agri-food research and the possibilities for their application in new areas.