A diagnostic of alternative food network: the case of Participatory Guarantee System of Parma (Italy)

The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) is a second party certification system, recognized as a reliable certification system that could be alternative and/or complementary to the Third-Party Certifications, such as the organic ones. PGSs are based on horizontal relationships and trust among farmers and between farmers and consumers. Nevertheless, few study have analysed the social structure of PGS, especially in developed countries. This study aims at understanding such social structure. To do so, the study applied Social Network Analysis and community detection methods to a PGS based in Parma (Italy) and grouping 30 farmers. The results highlight the existence of 2 main groups of farmers. The first one is more cohesive and groups farmers participating in farmers’ markets, while the second one groups farmers that do not participate in such farmers’ markets and also has lower cohesiveness. This study is relevant because it can help the PGS members to understand the current situation and implement interventions aiming at improving the social relationships of farmers. Moreover, the study contributes to the current scientific discussion on alternative food networks and the effective social engagement of farmers. Keywords: Alternative Food Networks, voluntary certifications, social network analysis, Italy