Wild berry shifting: Sustainability transitions and diverse economies in a rural ‘sparseland’

Rural areas approach diverse but profound challenges, making alternative and innovative transitions necessary in order to improve society.

Global food systems constitute a telling example of a rurally related economic activity, which produce social and spatial inequalities and are in need of fundamental transition.

In this project, we focus on wild berries as an unexplored resource containing potential for development in rural and sparsely populated areas, and attach it to the empowerment of migrant workers.

While integrating the theories on sustainability transitions and diverse economies, the project aims to systematize and search for alternative and sustainable economic performance and labour supply within global food systems.

We do this through the case of the wild berry industry, as an example of a global food system, which contains potential to spatial regeneration of rural areas.

Methodologically, the project is based on performative research, where we integrate systematic, all-encompassing knowledge on industries and governance with in-depth knowledge from rural case studies.

The first part of the project will analyze the interrelations between governance, industries and labour supply, while the second part consists of case studies, investigating alternative economies of entrepreneurship and work.

The project provides novel knowledge on the sustainability transitions of alternative economies, while engaging with a wide variety of actors on multiple geographic scales.