Regenerative agriculture and food system transformation: an ethnography of food co-ops as infrastructures for the agroecological transition

This thesis examines the role of self-managed consumer cooperatives (food co-ops) as socio-economic and socio-ecological infrastructures that support the transition toward regenerative agriculture (RA) in Italy. While industrial agriculture is increasingly criticized for its social and environmental impacts, RA emerges as a promising alternative paradigm; however, its large-scale adoption remains constrained by several political, structural, and economic barriers and by attempts at co-optation by corporate actors. Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, this research investigates how food co-ops contribute to overcoming these barriers by re-politicizing consumption and advancing principles of food sovereignty, democracy, and agroecology. Methodologically, the study integrates participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and an exploratory questionnaire. Empirical analysis focuses on two case studies: Camilla (Bologna) and Mesa Noa (Cagliari). The findings show that food co-ops function not only as alternative food distribution channels supporting small-scale and regenerative producers, but also as spaces of situated learning and social experimentation, where horizontal governance and collective practices foster shifts in values and imaginaries. At the same time, the study highlights a set of internal structural tensions, identifying the continuous negotiation between normative ideals and pragmatic constraints as a defining feature of the model. Overall, the thesis argues that food co-ops can be understood as critical infrastructures for more just, democratic, and regenerative food systems.