Impact of information and communication technologies in agroecological cooperativism in Catalonia
Abstract
In Catalonia, agroecological cooperativism is part of a set of alternatives that appeared as a response to the current hegemonic food consumption model, controlled by large commercial establishments. It is defined by its promotion of short food supply chains (SFSCs), operates under the values of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and holds a strong political commitment. This article, on the one hand, studies the setup of agroecological cooperativism understood as the outcome of a network of producers, intermediaries and consumers and, on the other hand, examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the development of this consumption model. The data has been obtained through on-site interviews and online research on the 56 consumer groups and cooperatives present in Barcelona. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis have been used to study them. The results prove the salient role that ICT has as a facilitator in the relational network established between the agents that take part in it, thus becoming a key characteristic element of the new agroecological consumer cooperativism.
Full text
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Ag icul u al Economics – Czech, 65, 2019 (2): 59–66 O iginal Pape
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Ag oecological coope a i ism has a long-s anding
adi ion in Ca alonia. The epo o Hue a and Ponce
(2010) e e s o he i s Ca alan ag oecological con-
sump ion expe iences, da ing back o he 1980s, due
o " he in e es among ci izens o he acquisi ion
o ecologic p oduc s and owa ds a sel -managed
consump ion model based on ai e condi ions bo h
o p oduce s and consume s,. Likewise, he epo
o Blanco e al. (2015) encompasses a signi ican pa
o socially inno a i e p ac ices. I includes coope a-
i es and ag oecological consume g oups embedded
in a se o p ac ices igh ly ela ed o al e na i e con-
sump ion and economic models. They a e he mos
ep esen a i e o ganisa ions in his ield, wi h 51.8%
o all o ganisa ions.
In Ca alonia, he phenomenon o ag oecologi-
cal coope a i ism comp ises economic, social and
poli ical aspec s. I is linked wi h he p omo ion
o ag oecology wi hin he amewo k o he sho
ood supply chains (SFSCs), wi h he social ma ke
in i s ques o s imula e he social and solida i y
economy and wi h poli ical engagemen h ough so-
cial mo emen s. Despi e dealing wi h h ee complex
dimensions, hey ela e o daily habi s we emb ace
when app oaching consump ion.
Acco ding o he las epo published by he Obse -
a o y o consump ion and ood dis ibu ion (2017),
hep e e ed g oce y pu chase channels a e supe -
ma ke s and cash-and-ca y wholesale s (accoun ing
o 43.9% o he ma ke sha e; hey g ew by1.2%
compa ed o he same pe iod in 2015). Discoun
s o es ha e also g own (+4.6%), achie ing a sha e
o 12.8%. Meanwhile, hype ma ke s and adi ional
s o es a e he wo dis ibu ion models ha pe o med
poo ly (d opping hei ma ke sha e by–3.7% and
–3.5% espec i ely).
Impac o in o ma ion and communica ion echnologies
in ag oecological coope a i ism in Ca alonia
Rica d Espel 1*, Ismael Peña-López1, O iol Mi albell2, Toni Ma ín3,
Nú ia Vega1
1Open Uni e si y o Ca alonia, Ba celona, Spain
2Uni e si y o Ba celona, Ba celona, Spain
3SCRM – Social BigDa a
*Co esponding au ho : ica despel @uoc.edu
Ci a ion: Espel R., Peña-López I., Mi albell O., Ma ín T., Vega N. (2019): Impac o in o ma ion and communica ion
echnologies in ag oecological coope a i ism in Ca alonia. Ag icul u al Economics – Czech, 65: 59–66.
Abs ac : In Ca alonia, ag oecological coope a i ism is pa o a se o al e na i es ha appea ed as a esponse o hecu-
en hegemonic ood consump ion model, con olled by la ge comme cial es ablishmen s. I is de ined byi s p omo ion
o sho ood supply chains (SFSCs), ope a es unde he alues o he social and solida i y economy (SSE) and holds a
s ong poli ical commi men . This a icle, on he one hand, s udies he se up o ag oecological coope a i ism unde -
s ood as he ou come o a ne wo k o p oduce s, in e media ies and consume s and, on he o he hand, examines he
impac o in o ma ion and communica ion echnologies (ICT) in he de elopmen o his consump ion model. The
da a has been ob ained h ough on-si e in e iews and online esea ch on he 56 consume g oups and coope a i es
p esen in Ba celona. Desc ip i e s a is ics and co ela ion analysis ha e been used o s udy hem. The esul s p o e
he salien ole ha ICT has as a acili a o in he ela ional ne wo k es ablished be ween he agen s ha ake pa in i ,
hus becoming a key cha ac e is ic elemen o he new ag oecological consume coope a i ism.
Keywo ds: ag oecological coope a i ism; in e -coope a ion; ICT; ne wo k socie y
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O iginal Pape Ag icul u al Economics – Czech, 65, 2019 (2): 59–66
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Among o he channels, coope a i es hold a ma ke
sha e o 9.8% (g owing i s sha e by 2.3% compa ed
o he same pe iod he yea be o e). When i comes
o esh g oce ies, adi ional s o es e ain he high-
es sales u no e (33.8%), al hough being a he
same ime he ones expe iencing he mos acu e
ma ke sha e d op compa ed o he same pe iod
in2015(–5.5%). The epo showcases wo ele an
elemen s o his esea ch. On he one hand, sales
ans e ed om adi ional o la ge-scale e ail
sec o s, discoun s o es, supe ma ke s and cash-
and-ca y wholesale s in hei bid o esh g oce y.
On he o he hand, bo h he olume (+33.2%) and he
alue (+27.7%) o e-comme ce pu chases inc eased.
The e o e, he consump ion model ha g oups o-
ge he all kinds o pu chases p e ails, and he ole
o in o ma ion and communica ion echnologies
(ICT) is inc easingly ele an .
In his con ex , he la ge ag i- ood indus y, which
is basically concen a ed in 10 la ge b ands glob-
ally (Ho man 2013), con ols he whole alue chain
(To ibio e al. 2012), p o iding p oduc s a he low-
es cos while complying wi h legal equi emen s.
Theco e o mos o he ma ke is concen a ed on a
ew agen s, a lo o in e media ies and li le a en ion
o he long dis ances om whe e he g oce ies come
om o he exis ing social jus ice condi ions whe e
hey a e p oduced, among o he aspec s (Mauleón
2009; Simón Fe nández e al. 2012; Vi as 2014).
Despi e his hegemony, we can obse e an al e na-
i e consump ion model ha pi o s a ound SFSCs
(Binimelis and Descombes 2010), cha ac e ised by a
close ela ionship be ween p oduce and consume
(Valls 2006; Ma échal 2008) based on a esocialisa ion
p ocess (Venn e al. 2006; Ja osz 2008). I p omo es
h ee elemen s: (i) he edis ibu ion o alue h ough
a ne wo k ha opposes ag oindus ial consump ion;
(ii) he eco e y o con idence be ween p oduce and
consume ; and (iii) he a icula ion o new poli ical
and go e nance ma ke s uc u es ha p omo e
esilience and sus ainabili y. Consume g oups and
coope a i es, apa om es ablishing bonds wi h
SFSCs, also p omo e ag oecology ha , in con as
wi h ecology, is no only ocused onp omo ing a
p oduc ion based on he op imal use o na u al e-
sou ces ha does no ely on syn he ic chemical
p oduc s and gene ically modi ied o ganisms. I is
also conce ned wi h he social and poli ical im-
pac o he ood p oduc ion aceabili y (Badal e al.
2010). The ac ha hecollec i es s udied in his
epo ake pa in hema ke , unde s ood as a ool
a he se ice o hewell-being o humans and li e
ep oduc ion inou plane , links hem o he g oup
o o ganisa ions ha cons i u e he social and soli-
da i y economy (SSE) (Pé ez deMendigu en e al.
2009). Fu he mo e, heeme gence o ag oecological
consume g oups and coope a i es isalso a poli ical
esponse agains he homogenei y esul ing om he
expansion o global ood supply chains (Khou y 2014).
The e o e, hey a e pa o he an i-globalisa ion
mo emen and emb ace he he o ic o e i o ial
de ence, e y signi ican in Ca alonia, and ha im-
plies o pu sue a eco e y o he "iden i y o he si es"
ino de o p omo e social and economical e na i es
ha a ou elocalisa ion (Nel lo 2014).
Ul ima ely, i we add he alues ha he SSE p o-
mo es and he poli ical link o he o ganisa ions wi h
he social mo emen s o he disin e media ion and
p oximi y a iables ha a icula e he SFSCs, paying
special a en ion o ag oecology, we a e con ex ualising
a new consump ion model also conce ned wi h he
social, economic, en i onmen al and o ganisa ional
c i e ia behind e e y p oduc while de ined by being
poli ically ans o ma i e. I is because o his same
eason ha he e m "ag oecological coope a i ism"
encompasses he social, economic and poli ical di-
mension o his consump ion model. A model ha
equi es he in e -coope a ion o he in ol ed ac o s
o be scaled up (Ma ín-Mayo e al. 2017). Tha is, he
ela ional lows ough o s eng hen he cons uc ion
o he social ma ke , which is democ a ic, ecological
and suppo i e by na u e (Ga cia 2002).
I is a his s age whe e he adop ion o ICT can acili-
a e he eme gence o his a ay o po en ial ela ion-
ships, c ea ing a ne wo k o in e connec ions wi hin
he amewo k o a "ne wo k socie y" (Cas ells 1997).
Th ough social media pla o ms, use s can c ea e p o iles
and connec (Boyd and Ellison 2008), gene a ing new
lows o con en (Co mode and K ishnamu hy 2008).
These ne wo ks can be dense and enclosed, he esul
o he na ow ela ionships be ween membe s o he
same collec i e, o a he open and di used, as a con-
sequence o he lexibili y o hese same o ganisa ions
(Wellman 1997). In any case, Mi albell (2012) signi ies
he use ulness o social ne wo k pla o ms as a ool ha
eases he exchange and – o some ex en – he c ea ion
o knowledge, hanks o he po en ial enabled by he
in e ac ion be ween i s use s. Fu he mo e, digi al
pla o ms should be an ins umen o scale he impac
o adi ional coope a i ism, allowing a new ype o o -
ganisa ions called pla o m coope a i es (Scholz 2016).
In his sense, open echnology and open knowledge
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mus be he way ha pla o m coope a i es connec
wi h digi al commons (Fus e and Espel 2018). This
new app oach o coope a i ism, connec ed o digi al
commons, is p omo ing an al e na i e o he unico n
pla o ms – like Ube o Ai bnb – o collabo a i e
economy (Fus e e al. 2017).
GOALS, HYPOTHESIS AND CASE STUDY
This a icle, on he one hand, aims o analyse heex-
en his ne wo k o ag oecological coope a i ism,
a ou s a sel -managed, social, p oximi y-based and
economically ai consump ion, how i is a icula ed.
On he o he hand, i aims o assess he ole ICT holds
ega ding he a icula ion o his ne wo k.
The hypo hesis is ha consume g oups and coop-
e a i es c ea e a ne wo k o ela ionships wi h hei
p oduce s and in e media ies h ough ICT ha acili-
a es in e -coope a ion, and he e o e p omo es ag o-
ecological coope a i ism. In o de o do so, we ocus
on he s udy o 56 ac i e collec i es p esen in heci y
o Ba celona (Espel e al. 2015), he a ea wi h he
highes olume o consume g oups and coope a i es
in Ca alonia and whe e SSE accoun s o 7% sha e
o g oss domes ic p oduc (GDP) (Fe nàndez and
Mi ó 2016).
METHODOLOGY
D awing om o he simila esea ch (Juliá e al.
2006; Me oño and A cas 2006), we ha e designed
a me hodology ha blends on-si e in e iews and
online esea ch.
The in e iews ha e been conduc ed wi h a ques-
ionnai e including wo se s o ques ions. On he
one hand, we ha e in eg a ed he indica o s o mu-
la ed by Pam a Pam (XES and SETEM 2015) in o de
ode e mine which o ganisa ions a e pa o he SSE
inCa alonia, using he a iables o p oximi y, ai
ade and in e -coope a ion, which a e assessed wi h
a 0 o 5 g ading. Each indica o is disc imina o y (i is
ei he accomplished o no ), and he di e en g ades
dic a e hei le el o excellence. On he o he hand,
ega ding ICT, we assess he alue o ganisa ions gi e
o ICT o hei unc ioning, he ools used o man-
age o ganisa ional issues, and hei digi al oo p in ,
among o he ele an ac i i ies and con en s.
A he beginning o he in e iew, we ga he in-
o ma ion such as he numbe o a ilia es and he
lis ing o p oduce s and in e media ies. The ques ion-
nai e p o ides quan i a i e (pe cen age o compli-
ance ega ding SSE c i e ia o assessmen o alue
gi en oICT in he global unc ioning o he g oup,
o ins ance) and quali a i e da a (a de ailed epo
on how any gi en SSE c i e ia is obse ed o he
desc ip ion o a echnological ool adop ed, o in-
s ance). Gi en ha one o he goals o he esea ch is
o unco e he ole o in e media ies wi hin hene -
wo k, he ques ionnai e is also ca ied ou wi h he
second-g ade coope a i es and wi h o he in e me-
dia y o ganisa ions. Ino de o collec in o ma ion
conce ning he digi al oo p in o p oduce s and
in e media ies insocial ne wo ks, we ha e ca ied
ou a ne nog aphic esea ch based on links ha
appea on websi es and o icial blogs, limi ing his
esea ch o he 157p oduce s and 13in e media ies
included in he s udy sample be ween Ap il 10–20,
2017. In he i s place, a ac ual analysis has been
conduc ed in o de o co obo a e hei p esence
in each o he social ne wo ks s udied: Facebook,
Twi e and Ins ag am.
To assess he esul s, we ha e conduc ed desc ip i e
s a is ics o each o ou a iables and a co ela ion
analysis o hem (numbe o a ilia es, p oximi y, ai
ade, in e -coope a ion, he alue gi en o ICT, p o-
essionalisa ion and digi al oo p in in social media)
ino de o quan i y he exis ing ela ionships be ween
hem and iden i y key elemen s. On he o he hand,
we ha e conduc ed a ne wo k analysis ( isually ep e-
sen ed wi h Gephi) o s udy he mos ele an nodes,
he exis ing connec ions be ween hem and he ole
o second-g ade o ganisa ions ha ac asin e medi-
a ies be ween p oduce s and consume s.
RESULTS
Consume g oups and coope a i es
Mos o he coope a i es and consume g oups
unc ion hanks o he olun a y commi men o hei
a ilia es (91.2%). The es (8.8%) coun on p o es-
sionals ha ake ca e o speci ic asks: economic and
o de s managemen , logis ics. Despi e being ewe ,
p o essional g oups ha e a highe a e age numbe
o a ilia es (71.5) compa ed o he ones un by ol-
un ee s (28.75). Likewise, hey do no se hemsel es
a speci ic g ow h limi , while olun ee g oups do,
causing wai ing lis s when new membe s wan ojoin,
a ci cums ance ha o en ends up wi h he c ea ion
o new g oups.
Rega ding he h ee c i e ia used os udy SSE, we
no ice ha : he p oximi y c i e ia a e accomplished
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wi hou signi ican a ia ion bo h by olun ee (81%)
and p o essional (80%) g oups. This indica es ha
he s udied o ganisa ions p io i ise pu chasing local
p oduc s. D awing om he on-si e in e iews we
conduc ed, we can asse ha his akes place because
hese o ganisa ions ha e unde aken an in e nal con-
side a ion p ocess and ollowed a policy consis ing in
limi ing he geog aphical scope o he p oduc s hey
buy, p o iding a he same ime sensibilisa ion ools
op omo e p oximi y ade.
The ai ade c i e ia also show a high le el o ac-
complishmen , wi h a minimum a ia ion be ween
olun ee (73%) and p o essional (72%) g oups. This
indica es ha hese g oups y o pu chase ai ade
p oduc s o p oduc s ha ce i y decen sala ies
and he minimisa ion o in e media ies. As a esul
o he on-si e in e iews conduc ed, we can asse
ha his happens because hese o ganisa ions ha e
unde aken an in e nal conside a ion p ocess and
emb ace as hei policy o p io i ise pu chasing ai
ade p oduc s o p oduc s ha gua an ee decen
sala ies and he minimisa ion o in e media ies.
Likewise, hey also o e sensibilisa ion ma e ials
ha p omo e ai ade and communica ion chan-
nels wi h he p oduce when i comes o se ing he
p ices. Ac ually, a lo o consume g oups egula ly
isi hei main p oduce s, show in e es in hei
p ojec s and encou age hem o ge in ol ed in hei
assemblies. Some g oups e en help p oduce s in
ha d-wo k asks such as he sewing o he ha es .
The in e -coope a ion c i e ia show signi ican a i-
a ion be ween olun a y (42%) and p o essional (84%)
g oups. Volun a y g oups sp ead he SSE p inciples
and ac i i ies and coun on a leas some supplie s
ha pa icipa e in i , while p o essional g oups also
sea ch o SSE supplie s whene e a p oduc o se -
ice is needed, and mos o hei supplie s come om
SSE. Besides accomplishing he p e iously men ioned
c i e ia, some o hem e en accomplish excellence
by s a egically con ibu ing o he c ea ion o he
social ma ke .
Rega ding hei use o ICT, he g oups g ade hei
impo ance wi h an a e age o 7.9 ou o 10, wi h
nosigni ican a ia ion be ween olun ee and p o-
essional g oups. The esul s o he in e iews poin
ha hey make use o ICT o manage he in e nal
join o de s wi h p oduce s. The mos used echnol-
ogy is Google, while some o hem ha e de eloped
o adap ed open-sou ce so wa e.
Rega ding hei social media oo p in , he esul s
show ha 57.9% o o ganisa ions ha e open p o iles
ina leas one o he ne wo ks. None heless, hei
usage a ies signi ican ly. The e a e some g oups
ha pos and upda e con en o en, linking wi h sali-
en opics in hei sec o , by e e ing o p oduce s,
sp eading poli ical (agains The T ansa lan ic T ade
and In es men Pa ne ship (TTIP), o ins ance)
o sensibilisa ion ( ood was e, o ins ance) campaigns,
while o he s ba ely do i , do no do i a all o keep
hei social media p o iles p i a e.
Supplie s and in e media y o ganisa ions
The coope a i es and consume g oups om Ba -
celona coun on 114 di ec supplie s (91.7%) and
13in e media ies (8.3%). 91.7% o he p oduc s a e
p o ided by a di ec supplie and 8.3% by an in e -
media y. This igu e, along wi h he a e age dis ance
om he supplie s (278.7 km) ein o ces he ask ha
g oups a ound SFSCs ca y ou . Tha is, SFSCs ac-
complish he wo main elemen s ha hey ough o:
p oximi y (81%) and disin e media ion (90.7%). This
indica o shows a sligh ly highe endency as o ol-
un ee g oups no dealing wi h in e media ies (91.2%)
compa ed o p o essional g oups (87%).
71.42% o in e media y o ganisa ions a e pa o he
ins i u ions ha o m he SSE, while jus 6.3% o p o-
duce s ha e aken he SSE ques ionnai e. Rega ding
he h ee key SSE c i e ia conce ning ou esea ch,
we no ice ha p oximi y is accomplished in 67%,
ai ade in 70% and in e -coope a ion in 50% o he
cases. As o social ne wo ks, 69.2% o in e medi-
a y o ganisa ions ha e an open p o ile on Facebook,
while 46.2% also use Twi e and 15.3% o he social
ne wo ks, such as Ins ag am, YouTube o Google+.
When i comes o p oduce s, 62.4% o hem a e onFa-
cebook, 36.9%onTwi e , 28% on Ins ag am and
14.6% on o he social ne wo ks, such as YouTube,
LinkedIn o Flick .
Highligh ed Elemen s
The SSE c i e ia-based accomplishmen compa ison
be ween coope a i es and supplie s (ei he di ec o in-
e media ies) igu e (Figu e 1) shows ha coope a i es
accomplish a highe p oximi y a io (81% compa ed
o67%) and ai ade (72% compa ed o70%), whe eas
supplie s p esen highe in e -coope a ion capabili ies
(50% compa ed o 44%). Despi e he a ia ion no be-
ing signi ican in quan i a i e e ms, he esul s pu
on display a ein o cemen o coope a i es, especially
owa ds SFSCs, and sligh ly owa ds in e -coope a ion,
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while supplie s acqui e a g ea e ole in a ou ing
in e -coope a ion be ween agen s.
The Figu e 2 compa es social media p esence be-
ween coope a i es, in e media ies and di ec supplie s
displays a lowe le el o in e es among coope a-
i es(56%) o sp ead hei ac i i y in such ne wo ks
compa ed o p oduce s (69%) and in e media ies (69%).
In o de o measu e he ela ionship be ween he
s udied a iables: (i) p oximi y, (ii) ai ade, (iii)in e -
coope a ion, (i ) ICT usage, ( ) social media p esence,
( i) p o essionalisa ion, ( ii) numbe o a ilia es and
( iii) in e media ion, we ha e unde aken a co ela-
ion analysis (Table 1).
The esul s show ha a iables beha e independen ly
o each o he . Despi e some simila i ies occu ing,
hese a e no signi ican in quan i a i e e ms and show
ela i ely low alues. This has, om ou poin o iew,
a double-sided in e p e a ion ha ac ually poin s
in he same di ec ion. On he one hand, he a iables
ha e been concep ualised consis en ly enough, as hey
show no edundancies. On he o he hand, i is co -
obo a ed ha – as he in e iews p o e– i is highly
likely ha hese a e a iables ha depend onhighly
independen app oxima ions and decisions by na u e,
ei he due o hei idiosync a ic di e ences o because
o he capabili ies and s a egies a e equi ed o i s
implemen a ion—as in he case o ICT. In his ega d,
he independence shown by ICT and social media
can be explained by he managemen cha ac e o he
o me and by he communica ion na u e o he la e .
The ne wo k o ag oecological coope a i es o Ba -
celona (Espel e al. 2017b), a anged by a numbe
Figu e 1. Social and solida i y economy (SSE) c i e ia-ba-
sed accomplishmen compa ison be ween coope a i es
(numbe = 56) and supplie s (numbe = 157)
Sou ce: au ho s
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
SSE accomplishmen (%)
Coope a i es
Supplie s
P oximi y Fai ade In e -coope a ion
Figu e 2. P esence in social media compa ison be ween
coope a i es (numbe = 56), in e media ies (numbe = 13)
and p oduce s (numbe = 144)
Sou ce: au ho s
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
Di ec supplie s
Social ne wo ks p o iles (%)
Social Ne wo ks
Coope a i es In e media
Table 1. Co ela ion o a iables s udied (numbe o coope a i es = 56)
NUM PRO FT ICO ICT PRF IME SM
Numbe o a ilia es (NUM)––––––––
P oximi y (PRO)0.12 –––––––
Fai T ade (FT)0.24 0.54 ––––––
In e -coope a ion (ICO)0.41 0.25 0.09 –––––
ICT usage (ICT)0.19 –0.04 –0.05 0.16 – – – –
P o essionalisa ion (PRF)0.63 0.10 0.00 0.49 0.11 – – –
In e media ion (IME)0.38 0.04 0.17 0.15 0.28 0.07 – –
Social Media (SM)0.12 0.10 –0.02 0.29 0.18 0.27 –0.18 –
all alues a e signi ican a 95%
Sou ce: au ho s
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o connec ions and cen ali y, we no ice ha he
coope a i es Mespilus and L’Aixada a e he ones
ha display he mos connec ions be ween consume
o ganisa ions and in he s udy o e all. Meanwhile,
Fo ma ges de Puigce e and Cal Valls a e he p o-
duce s wi h mo e p esence among he coope a i es.
I is wo h no ing he cen al posi ion o Sel a ana,
a p oduce wi h jus nine g oups o coope a i es
asclien s bu wi h a huge p esence in he ne wo k.
I is also necessa y ounde sco e ha he wo in e -
media y o ganisa ions be e posi ioned, Que iu e
and Món Ve d, a e lis ed he 30 h and he 43 d.
CONCLUSION
The i s c i ical aspec in he de ini ion o ag o-
ecological consume g oups and coope a i es a e i s
sel -managemen capabili ies. The esul s o his a icle
shed ligh on he consume ac i i y ela ions ha hese
o ganisa ions (91.2% o hem hanks o he olun a y
commi men o i s a ilia es) es ablish wi h p oduce s
and in e media ies. In all cases, he less nume ous
g oup o o ganisa ions, he p o essional ones (8.8%)
coun on a la ge numbe o a ilia es (71.5ona e -
age, compa ed o 28.8 in he case o olun ee - un
o ganisa ions). The e o e, we can conclude ha p o-
essional o ganisa ions ha e g ea e po en ial, as hey
exe hei in luence o e a la ge g oup o consume s
compa ed o olun ee g oups.
In ou de ini ion o ag oecological consume g oups
and coope a i es, we a icula ed a double-sided app oxi-
ma ion: hei belonging o SFSCs and hei connec ion
wi h he alues p omo ed by he SSE. On he one hand,
ega ding SFSCs (p oximi y and disin e media ion),
he da a conce ning he a e age spa ial dis ance be-
ween supplie s and coope a i es shows ha his igu e
equals an a e age o 278.7 km compa ed o an a e age
o 3827.8km ega ding he p oduc s consumed by he
Spanish ci izenship as a whole (Simón Fe nández e al.
2012). On he o he hand, he consump ion o p od-
uc s di ec ly supplied by p oduce s s ands a 90.7%.
In sho , he wo signi ican elemen s ha de ine he
na u e o o ganisa ions belonging o SFSCs a e ac-
complished. Rega ding hei link o he SSE, as we ha e
poin ed in he esul s sec ion, he se o o ganisa ions
s udied doaccomplish he c i e ia de ined wi h he
ques ionnai e, speci ied in he social, economic and
en i onmen al assessmen o each p ojec .
None heless, i we ocus on he h ee SSE key c i-
e ia used in ou esea ch (p oximi y, ai ade and
in e -coope a ion) we no ice ha while he o me
wo a e accomplished in mo e han 70% o he cases
bo h in olun ee and p o essional o ganisa ions, he
la e , in e -coope a ion (which is c i ical o social
ma ke g ow h) (Fe nàndez and Mi ó 2016), shows a
signi ican a ia ion, wi h an accomplishmen a io
o 84% o p o essional g oups and 42% o olun ee
g oups. The e o e, i cons i u es a new indica o ha
ein o ces he p esence o p o essionals as a equi e-
men o he expansion o a consump ion model ha
d aws om he SSE alues. This is especially ele an
as p o essional g oups do no se hemsel es a g ow h
limi , as i is he case o he g oups un by olun-
ee s. In addi ion, i is wo h no ing ha he p esence
o in e media ies does no unde mine he p omo ion
o he social ma ke , as 71.42% o he in e media y
o ganisa ions s udied a e pa o he SSE as well.
Rega ding echnology usage, which ob ains a high
alua ion (7.7), we also no ice a ele an elemen :
hei a en ion is ocused on he g oups’ ope a i e
p ocesses (82% usage in o de s’ managemen ) a he
han on using hem as a ool o sp ead hei ac i i y
and p omo e hei alues (only 56.1% a e p esen
insocial media pla o ms). No signi ican a ia ion
is app ecia ed in his case be ween p o essional and
olun ee g oups. The e o e, we can conclude ha ,
asa whole, ICT usage is p io i ised as a ool embedded
in hei ope a i e p ocesses a he han as a commu-
nica ion ins umen .
In his sense, in ou p esen a ion o esul s, we ha e
co obo a ed ha co ela ion a iables (p oximi y,
ai ade, in e -coope a ion, ICT usage, social media
p esence, p o essionalisa ion, numbe o a ilia es
andin e media ion) do no p o ide conclusi e empi i-
cal easons, al hough hey ce ainly allow us osignal
ha he mo e amily membe s a e included, he
g ea e he o ganisa ion’s openness is. An explana-
ion may be ha he social capi al o i s membe s
inc eases along wi h he p obabili y o posi i e and
e ec i e inclusion o membe s wi h ies and con ac s
in o he o ganisa ions.
Likewise, i seems ha p o essional indi iduals
could help o es ablish deepe coope a ion wi h o he
o ganisa ions. In any case, i seems ob ious ha he
ne wo k-based s uc u e and he na u e o consume
g oups and coope a i es posi i ely co espond wi h
a di use and open ne wo k (Wellman 1997). In his
ega d, he on-si e in e iews con i m his aspec .
Excep o e y speci ic ins ances, as wi h Poblenou
coope a i es coo dina o (wi h which he neighbou -
hood’s g oups o ganize ac i i ies and manage o de s
o speci ic p oduc s join ly) o some o he g oups ha
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h ps://doi.o g/10.17221/171/2018-AGRICECON
a icula e pa o hei o e h ough second-g ade
coope a i es (i.e. Què iu e), coope a i es p esen
an odd, occasional le el o ela ions be ween hem.
The ac ha he wo mos ele an in e media y
o ganisa ions, second-g ade coope a i es Què iu e
and Món Ve d, occupy a low-le el cen ali y in ou
ne wo k analysis ( he 30 h and he 43 d posi ion,
espec i ely) also sheds ligh on hei mode a e in-
luence as in e -coope a ion agen s nowadays.
Summing up, we can conclude ha , in con as wi h
o he consume al e na i es linked o he p omo ion
o p oximi y p oduc s, o which echnology is an es-
sen ial aspec o hei unc ioning, as i is he case wi h
The Flood Assembly (Espel e al. 2017a), consume
g oups and coope a i es ampli y he alues p omo ed
by he SSE and, he e o e, he possibili y o ein o cing
he social ma ke h ough sel -managemen , specially
i p o essional indi iduals ake pa in i . In any case,
ICT eme ge as a ele an elemen in he ope a i e
a icula ion o ag oecological consume g oups and
ep esen a c i ical asse in he de elopmen o SFSCs
and he SSE. As we poin ed in he in oduc ion, he ole
o open so wa e and open knowledge in he adop ion
o pla o m coope a i ism should be an oppo uni y
oscale he impac o coope a i ism in he sense o hei
alues (Fus e and Espel 2018). Acco ding o he SSE-
based assessmen c i e ia used by Pam a Pam, which
ha e been used in his esea ch, usage o knowledge
licenses and open-sou ce so wa e a e ela ed o he
alues p omo ed by SSE. Thus, in u u e esea ch,
i would be in e es ing o analyse how ag oecological
coope a i es a e adop ing digi al commons oscale
hei impac as a coope a i e pla o ms (Scholz 2016)
and, wi h ha , build an al e na i e ounico n pla o ms
(Fus e Mo ell e al. 2017).
Acknowledgemen s
O iol, i was un wo king wi h you while you we e
among us. Now you a e gone, bu he good wo k e-
mains. So long, iend. Rica d, Ismael, Nú ia and Toni.
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