See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318343897 Fair Trade Milk Initiative in Belgium: Bricolage as an Empowering Strategy for Change: Fair trade milk initiative in Belgium Article in Sociologia Ruralis · July 2017 DOI: 10.1111/soru.12174 CITATIONS READS 14 176 3 authors, including: Pierre M Stassart François Mélard University of Liège University of Liège 51 PUBLICATIONS 782 CITATIONS 16 PUBLICATIONS 92 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: LPTransition View project Livestock farming system View project All content following this page was uploaded by Pierre M Stassart on 09 August 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Sociologia Ruralis Fair trade milk initiative in Belgium: bricolage as an empowering strategy for change Journal:For Sociologia Review Ruralis Only Manuscript ID SORU-16-063.R2 Manuscript Type: Special Issue Paper dairy system, bricolage, ambiguity, lock-in, multi-level perspective, fair Keywords: trade Page 1 of 31 Sociologia Ruralis 1 2 3 4 1 “Fair trade milk initiative in Belgium: bricolage as an empowering strategy for 5 2 change” 6 7 3 8 9 4 Abstract: 10 11 12 5 In a context of multiple crises, dairy farmers struggle to receive a fair remuneration for their 13 14 6 work. This situation led to the creation of fair milk projects in Europe. But fair trade projects 15 16 7 often suffer from ambiguous interpretations that place them simultaneously in and against the 17 18 8 market. This studyFor focuses onReview a Belgian milk label inOnly order to analyse how dairy farmers 19 20 9 developed a particular strategy to create their own fair milk. Based on semi-structured 21 22 10 interviews and using the multi-level perspective, we propose that articulating the concepts of 23 24 11 lock-ins, bricolage and ambiguity enables us to analyse the potential of this innovation for the 25 26 12 transition of the Belgian dairy system. The study shows that fairness is often a matter of 27 28 13 divergent interpretations, and its final actualiszation is the product of emergent and negotiated 29 30 14 relations. By using bricolage practices, the stakeholders reinforced their capacity to gain market 31 32 15 power and act within the system they want to change. 33 34 35 16 Keywords: lock-in, dairy system, bricolage, ambiguity, multi-level perspective, fair trade. 36 37 38 17 39 40 41 18 42 43 44 19 45 46 47 20 48 49 50 21 51 52 22 53 54 55 23 56 57 58 59 60 1 Sociologia Ruralis Page 2 of 31 1 2 3 4 24 1. Introduction 5 6 7 25 After decades of protectionist regulation, European dairy policy took a step further towards 8 9 26 liberalisation with the opening up of milk quotas in 2015. In European countries, the number of 10 11 27 dairy farms is constantly decreasing while, at the same time, they are becoming more intensive. 12 13 28 Moreover, dairy farmers have had to cope with a series of crises occurring in 2009, 2012 and 14 15 29 2015. All these crises were linked to the opening up of the European dairy sector to the global 16 17 30 market. This context of crisis opened a window of opportunity for fair trade projects in 18 For Review Only 19 31 European countries. These projects aim to support traditional farmers who barely earn a fair 20 21 32 remuneration for their work. 22 23 24 33 The analysis of fair trade products reveals a contrast between ideal fair trade projects and their 25 26 34 practical implementation (fairness in-the-making). In particular, many scholars have highlighted 27 28 35 a tension in fair trade projects, which are simultaneously “in” and “against” the market (e.g. 29 30 36 Huybrecht 2012, Fridell 2003, Le Velly 2004, Haynes 2006, Raynolds and Long 2007; 31 32 37 Özçağlar-Toulouse et al. 2010). As Huybrechts explains (2012, p. 17), stakeholders within the 33 34 38 fair trade movement “wish to use market mechanisms as a tool to increase their social impact, 35 36 39 but at the same time promote a political project that questions the functioning of the market”. It 37 38 40 thus appears that fairness is not a norm that can be realised in a self-evident manner: it is 39 40 41 necessary to make a series of adjustments (“bricolage”) to give it concrete effect, but this 41 42 42 generates a tension between the divergent interpretations of the project. These adjustments are 43 44 43 always specific: they vary according to the socio-historical context and the socio-technical 45 46 44 network in which the project takes place. 47 48 49 45 This article aims to contribute to the reflection around this tension, which frequently appears in 50 51 46 fair trade. The article will juxtapose this reflection with the question of the transition to 52 53 47 sustainable agri-food systems. Using the tools of the multi-level perspective (MLP), we will 54 55 48 analyse how Belgian farmers have developed a distinctive strategy in order to create their own 56 57 58 59 60 2 Page 3 of 31 Sociologia Ruralis 1 2 3 4 49 brand of fair trade milk (Fairebel) as a response to the milk crisis of 2009. The analysis 5 6 50 demonstrates how the tension was created in the particular context of the dairy sector, which is 7 8 51 characterised by a high degree of “lock-in”, which forced the farmers to use bricolage to realise 9 10 52 their project. This bricolage is the source of the tension in which the project finds itself: at once 11 12 53 “in” and “against” the market; at once in conflict and continuity with the system. We 13 14 54 demonstrate how this tension generates an ambiguity, in the sense that the interpretation 15 16 55 depends on the perspective taken. 17 18 For Review Only 19 56 The case is interesting because of the manner in which the stakeholders of the fair milk project 20 21 57 responded to the ambiguity by showing their commitment to letting one interpretation of the 22 23 58 project (political commitment) prevail over another (market expedience). In doing so, they were 24 25 59 able to maintain their project despite the tension. This article contributes to the reflection about 26 27 60 the transition of the agri-food system; it does so by taking into account the fact that in the case 28 29 61 of a strongly “locked-in” system like the dairy sector, the realisation of a “radical” project is 30 31 62 difficult. Even so, the construction of an ambiguous but very concrete project could itself serve 32 33 63 to put the system into tension. As a researcher, it is interesting to grasp this ambiguity and the 34 35 64 manner in which it is produced. The process of bricolage that produced the ambiguity permits us 36 37 65 to summarise and identify precisely where the lock-ins with which the actors experimented are 38 39 66 situated. 40 41 42 67 To analyse and further explore this case study, we will first present our method and conceptual 43 44 68 framework and define our understanding of the key concepts: lock-in, bricolage and ambiguity. 45 46 69 Secondly, we will describe our case study: a fair milk label created in reaction to the dairy crisis 47 48 70 that occurred in 2009. Thirdly, we will describe the Belgian dairy sector and show how farmers 49 50 71 had to use bricolage to overcome lock-ins. Fourthly, we describe a controversy around the 51 52 72 fairmilk project and show how it revealed the existence of a tension between a “political 53 54 73 commitment” and a “market expedience” dimension. This tension is a source of ambiguity in 55 56 57 74 different interpretations of the project. We will describe the sociotechnical transformations 58 59 60 3 Sociologia Ruralis Page 4 of 31 1 2 3 4 75 realised by the stakeholders in order to contain this ambiguity and avoid the collapse of the 5 6 76 project. Fifthly, we will discuss how bricolage is a useful concept for overcoming common 7 8 77 dichotomies linked with innovation, transition and fair trade. Lastly, we will conclude with a 9 10 78 synthesis of the arguments as to why this case study contributes to the reflections on transitions 11 12 79 to a sustainable agri-food system. 13 14 15 80 16 17 18 81 2. Conceptual frameworkFor and Review methods Only 19 20 21 82 Theoretically we build on transition theories, and more particularly on MLP, which provides a 22 23 83 useful heuristic tool (Smith 2007) for understanding innovation and change. Transition theories 24 25 84 aim to understand how major sociotechnical change occurs, and more specifically, how a 26 27 85 sociotechnical innovation can disrupt an existing system and induce deep change. The MLP 28 29 86 interprets transitional processes as the dynamics of interaction between three analytical levels 30 31 87 (Geels 2005, 2011, Geels and Schot 2007, Smith and Raven 2012): the socio-technical 32 33 88 landscape (macro), the socio-technical regime (meso) and the niche innovations (micro). In this 34 35 89 paper, we consider the Belgian dairy system as being the socio-technical regime, the fair trade 36 37 90 milk label as the niche innovation, and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the market 38 39 91 rules as the socio-technical landscape.