Volume 36, N° 2 - jul./dez. 2016

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Lori Stahlbrand

Resumo

This article introduces a new term – “infrastructure of the middle” – and explains how it helps understand how sustainability transition will happen in the food system. The evidence comes from 67 interviews with leaders of university food procurement initiatives in England and Cana- da. As founder and former president of the civil society organization which played a central role in the Canadian example, I bring a perspective informed by praxis, both as a practitioner and as a scholar applying Sustainability Transition Theory. I adapted the term infrastructure of the mid- dle from Kirschenmann et al.’s concept of “agriculture of the middle”, which describes the mid- size farms and ranches most at risk in a globalized food system. Infrastructure of the middle re- fers to the resources and networks that create a critical mass, enabling mid-size sustainable food producers to meet the needs of foodservice clients, especially public sector institutions.

Palavras-chave:  Infrastructure of the Middle; University Food Procurement; Sustainability Transition