Material Entanglements, Path dependencies and the Quest of Sustainability in meat production in Greece
Stathis Arapostathis
Contemporary policy priorities of EU Farm to Fork strategy have placed animal welfare centrally in the management of the transitions. The aim of this paper is to explore values as the key dimensions in understanding sociotechnical transformations in animal husbandry in Greece. The paper seeks to answer two interlinked questions: 1. Have material entanglements impacted on the reproduction and continuation of ways meat production characteristic of the industrialized mode of production? And following from this: 2. Have path-dependencies contributed in providing a specific frame in the conceptualization of sustainability and set boundaries in making responsibility and responsible design of sociotechnical systems as a matter of concern? Focusing on the cases of chicken and pig production the paper will show a. the material entanglements and sociotechnical path dependencies in meat production in Greece the last fifth years, b. the social and political setting that shaped the emergence of an emphasis on sustainable production and the environment the last five years, c. the possibilities of developing a more integral and inclusive “responsibility by design” approach in the regime of meat production. The concept of “responsibility by design” has been introduced by Stahl et al (2021) to stress that RRI approaches should go beyond specialized and specific projects (Fisher, 2021). Stahl et al (2021) focus on the mechanics of long-term impact and transformations and the integration of RRI in the fabric of practices and outcomes. We argue that sociotechnical networks and material entanglements materially bound any shift toward sustainable meat production. Approaches that aim to address the issue of long-term impact of responsible innovation in meat production must address existing limitations and the boundaries build by path dependencies. The paper has both descriptive and normative aspirations by combining approaches for the transition studies with RRI approaches. The paper is based on research conducted in archives relevant to poultry and pig production in Greece the last seventy years. Published materials from expert bodies, reports by expert committees and commercial publications of industrial actors are analyzed. Selected interviews also have been conducted with actors from the industry and the research community.
References
Erik Fisher (2021) RRI futures: ends and beginnings, Journal of Responsible Innovation, 8:2, 135-138, DOI: 10.1080/23299460.2021.1996771
Bernd Carsten Stahl, Simisola Akintoye, Lise Bitsch, Berit Bringedal, Damian Eke, Michele Farisco, Karin Grasenick, Manuel Guerrero, William Knight, Tonii Leach, Sven Nyholm, George Ogoh, Achim Rosemann, Arleen Salles, Julia Trattnig & Inga Ulnicane (2021) From Responsible Research and Innovation to responsibility by design, Journal of Responsible Innovation, 8:2, 175-198, DOI: 10.1080/23299460.2021.1955613
