Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (May 27 - July 5) :
Cheng Qiu’s PhD research project is about the political ecology and discourse of China’s agri-food systems transition. Historically, China practiced agroecological farming, in accordance with Taoist culture that values the intricate relationships in and between humans and nature. In only a few decades, China has evolved to a chemically intensive, commercially-oriented, and more industrialized agrifood system; resulting in serious environmental, social and health issues. In response to these challenges, bottom-up sustainable food movements have burgeoned in China in the recent decade, especially in affluent urban areas. In Shanghai, urban agriculture and composting initiatives sprouted in recent years, with the potential to repair the metabolic rift and re-embrace the traditional culture that values a harmonious human-nature relationship. Lu plans to conduct ethnography research in Shanghai on its urban agriculture and composting ventures to explore the discourse of the transition.