Food Democracy and Sensitive Approaches of the Ecological Transition
This article examines the place given to and the role of “sensitive” elements (that is, of the senses but also of attachment, of what “makes sense” and is valued) in projects and experiments aiming for an ecological transition within and through food systems, by presenting six case studies located in different regions of France. More precisely, it questions how these attachments can lead audiences a priori unfamiliar with ecological transition to be a part of it, and explores their scope in terms of politicization. It shows that taking into account these attachments offers a counterpoint to technicist and normative approaches of the ecological transition, while also addressing issues of food democracy and food justice. It identifies three paths of politicization, variously combined in the six experiments studied: empowerment, the valorization of practices and/or knowledge, and the formation of collectives. Finally, it suggests that, despite some identified limitations, taking these sensitive dimensions into account favors, under certain conditions, the inclusion and participation of these actors. Moreover, it also offers a means of bringing together the issues of food justice and food democracy with environmental issues, promising enough to warrant further consideration or at least discussion at the policy level of the ecological transition.