IMAGINED FUTURES IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS: FICTIONAL EXPECTATIONS AND COLECTIVE ACTION OF FAMILY FARMING IN THE LITORAL NORTE – RIO GRANDO DO SUL

Abstract

The transition to sustainable food systems has been a central topic on the agenda of organizations, governments, and companies. Although the topic itself encompasses a horizon of future, discussions are often limited to diagnoses of the historical trajectory of transformations in agriculture. In contrast, engaging a dialogue with the sociological literature on how imagined futures shape social changes, this article analyzes the fictional expectations that guide the transition strategies constructed by family farming organizations on the Litoral Norte of Rio Grande do Sul. The study was conducted between May and December 2023 through the articulation of prospective analysis and action research techniques. Data were collected through interviews, surveys, and focus groups involving representatives of 21 organizations. Based on the identification of critical factors for the transition, the article discusses two issues insufficiently addressed in the literature: changes in expectations when social actors are exposed to the imperative of public criticism and the strength of institutional mechanisms of path dependence (i.e., of the past) on imagined futures.