Learnings from the Covid-19 Crisis : Negotiating Alternative Food Systems in Paris

Initiatives aimed at reterritorialising food systems are proliferating amidst climate change discussions, as environmental, socio-political, and economic tensions intensify within globalized food systems (Rockström et al., 2020). The Covid-19 pandemic witnessed the emergence of numerous initiatives in metropolises, particularly aimed at reconnecting citizens with their food (Brand et al., 2017; Nemes et al., 2021; Song et al., 2021). This paper examines how key local actors in Paris—public authorities, private entities, and civil society—responded to the effects of the pandemic by implementing alternative food initiatives, ranging from short supply chains to food democracy.

Drawing upon a qualitative survey and a national and local public policy analysis, this study explores how urban dynamics and food security were reconnected through territorialised food systems, employing a framework rooted in urban studies (Bognon, 2014; Cerrada-Serra et al., 2018; Morgan, 2015; Nemes et al., 2023). By examining food territorialisation within the context of the « patchy Anthropocene » (Tsing et al., 2019), this research aims to analyse localised, context-specific, and rapid responses to food crises.

In placing the Covid-19 crisis within a broader context of ongoing disruptions—such as inflation in the French economy, crises in the organic farming sector, and climate-related challenges—this research evaluates the potential for food system re-localisation. Through the case study of Paris, this work contributes to discussions relating to the territorial characteristics of food resilience (Tendall et al., 2015), the role of urban food planning tools in crisis management, and offers a preliminary analysis of the food aid sector during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, our findings aim to question the agri-food trajectory of the Paris basin (Bognon et al., 2015; Bognon, 2015) in a moment of crisis, where alternatives to the globalised, privatised, and service-oriented food system are either emerging or declining.