Farm T(hr)o(ugh) School - The Role of place-based education in Short Food Supply Chains

Sammanfattning: Present master thesis investigates the role of 4 chosen place-based educational initiatives in Austria which are actively engaged in local short food supply chains (SFSCs). Those supply chains are defined by close geographical and social relations between supply chain actors and a limited number of intermediaries. It aims to scrutinize to what extend such initiatives (can) foster consumer-producer linkages, to be able to elaborate on ways that lead to the potential upscaling of SFSCs as niches into the agro-food regime. To secure a valid and profound contribution, the thesis also aims to understand why and in how far a linkage of consumers and producers can support a sustainability transition in the Agro Food Sector in the first place. The findings in terms of the place-based educational offer will be compared to present needs and challenges of actors in local food networks in Austria, which had been collected in the course of a qualitative survey, again with a focus on above mentioned linkages. The reasoning behind consulting both sides was to determine the current role of education in theory and practice when it comes to the generation and implementation of new social practices in aspects like supply chain management, alternative marketing, food shopping and consumer agency. The analytical framework used to conduct the analysis consists of a combination of the multi-level perspective (MLP) in sustainability transitions as well as aspects of the social practice theory (SPT). Mainly, this analysis elaborates which new social practices are formed by place-based education through the provided knowledge and competences and in how far those practices strengthen a linkage between consumers and producers. The taught practices most relevant for the establishment of a closer relationship between consumers and producers are marketing, consumer contact, cooperation, and food shopping. On a long run, this thesis contributes to a basis for an improved learning offer and forms of collaboration that will entail a positive impact on regional and local marketing, higher agency and, finally, support a sustainable transition in the agro-food sector.