Alternative Food Networks, Sheep and Puppies

Imagine, if you will, that you get off a bus in the Abruzzo National Park, and you are on a farm filled with puppies and kittens...

...Now imagine that's not even the best thing about the farm. Indeed, few things can compare to the practice of sustainable organic transhumance sheep raising!

When we weren't playing with animals or enjoying an organic lunch, we learned about this farm's approaches to bring back the cultural, economic and environmental benefits of the traditional farming practices once common in this region. This farm has been operating successfully for decades now, and is most known for its adopt a sheep program, which allows you to informally adopt a member of the flock, and receive a large basket of the farm's products such as socks, olive oil, and of course cheese.

This program is an example of an alternative food network, which is a catch-all term for methods of getting produce from farm to consumer in ways other than selling to mainstream wholesalers. We have already learned (as you may notice from previous blog posts) that organic farmers have a lot of difficulty in managing a profitable operation. On this farm, the use of these alternative food networks can increase the value of their cheese and other products by more than double. The adopt a sheep program itself does not make much profit, but the relationship it creates draws customers to continue buying products and even stay as tourists on the farm or eat in the restaurant.

Part of how this works is that the marketing of the farm, mostly online, poses the value of sustainable and local practices. Sheep adopters are told they are not just getting a high quality array of products; they are helping to restore important traditions and supporting the entire local ecosystem.

However, the article case study I read points out some issues with this; the farm may not be as local or sustainable as it seems. Of the 15 employees on the farm, many are newcomers to the area, including the owner herself. The farm is supported by international interest (only half of the sheep adopters are Italian) and shipping packaged products all over the world is by no means eco-friendly.

As a class we decided that ultimately this farm can still serve as a model for others. Even with it's flaws, it is clearly very invested in maintaining these important practices, and educating others about them.