Abstract:
The issue of food has evolved significantly in recent years throughout Europe, under the pressure of environmental and climate constraints as well as a set of factors related to food dependence and changes in consumption patterns. Short circuit practices, embedded in localized agrifood systems, although in the minority in terms of volumes consumed, are growing rapidly and are a sign of these developments. The recent health crisis has further highlighted the need to think of food as a global system with many variables and multiple interdependencies between these. This article outlines the global food system that has resulted from the modernization of agriculture in Europe and North America, and the powerful movement of globalization on a global scale. It describes the emergence of a territorial food system with characteristics that are distinct from the overall system. Finally, the article explores the alternative nature of the territorial system and its ability to provide solutions to recurring crises in the global food system.