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A Socio-metabolic Transition of Diets on a Greek Island: Evidence of “Quiet Sustainability”

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Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems

Part of the book series: Human-Environment Interactions ((HUEN,volume 7))

Abstract

In the search for sustainable food systems, the Mediterranean diet occupies a prominent place, from the point of view of health , by standards of ecological sustainability and as promoting a culture of moderation and conviviality. Focusing on the Greek island of Samothraki , this chapter tells the story of a community which finds itself in the middle of a dual transition, socio-metabolically, from a traditional agrarian lifestyle to a modern industrial society, and nutritionally, towards a westernization of diets. We aim at understanding current dynamics and identify potential leverage points for sustainability, from a socio-metabolic perspective. Despite an increasing dependence on imports, our findings highlight the significant role of agricultural self-provisioning and informal food networks, as an example of “quiet sustainability”. We propose to reinforce these sustainable elements of local tradition by associating them with values that find resonance within the community, such as health, localness and quality. There is the potential to support a better utilisation of local produce and make adherence to the Mediterranean diet and culture more attractive and economically viable.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In a typology of the Greek landscape produced by Tsilimigkas and Kizos (2014) Samothraki appears at the same time as a coastal area with high elevation and high slope gradient, covered mainly by forest and semi-natural vegetation, and therefore falls in the category of “marginalised” rural areas in contrast to the country’s fertile plains (Damianakos 1997).

  2. 2.

    Data on Greek average comes from household budget surveys (DAFNE V project).

  3. 3.

    There is a small amount of food, captured in the categories “homemade/own” and “neighbours, friends and family” that is imported, such as flour and sugar for traditional dishes, but the amount is negligible, as most food items in the questionnaire were single, raw food items. Conversely, a small amount of items sold at supermarkets come from local origin, but again this is considered negligible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070, Vienna, Austria

    Panos Petridis & Julia Huber

  2. respACT—Austrian business council for sustainable development, Wiedner Hauptstraße 24/11, 1040, Vienna, Austria

    Julia Huber

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  1. Panos Petridis
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Correspondence to Panos Petridis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

    Eva Fraňková

  2. Institute of Social Ecology, Faculty for Interdisciplinary Studies, Klagenfurt University, Vienna, Austria

    Willi Haas

  3. School of Environment Enterprise and Development (SEED), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Simron J. Singh

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Petridis, P., Huber, J. (2017). A Socio-metabolic Transition of Diets on a Greek Island: Evidence of “Quiet Sustainability”. In: Fraňková, E., Haas, W., Singh, S. (eds) Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems. Human-Environment Interactions, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69236-4_9

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