Industrial food systems

Raquel Ajates

doi:10.4337/9781800887435.00082

Industrial food systems

Raquel Ajates

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

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Abstract

This entry provides an account of how Industrial Revolutions have shaped and misshaped the development of industrial food systems, considering the social, political and environmental aspects of the technologies that built them. For industrial capital, the materiality and dependency on natural cycles of food production is a risk to its return on investment. To lower this risk, industrial food systems have been striving for the dematerialisation of biological agents, increasing instead the materialisation of industrially synthesised inputs. A critical perspective on the governance challenges ahead arising from the fusion of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is discussed.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society
Subtitle of host publication	Elgar Encyclopedias in the Social Sciences series
Editors	Lewis Holloway, Michael K. Goodman, Damian Maye, Moya Kneafsey, Alexandra E. Sexton, Ana Moragues-Faus
Publisher	Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
Chapter	76
Pages	318–322
Number of pages	5
ISBN (Electronic)	9781800887435
ISBN (Print)	9781800887428
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800887435.00082
Publication status	Published - 5 Aug 2025

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 2 Zero Hunger

Keywords

Industrial food systems
Technology
Farming
Agriculture
Fourth Industrial Revolution

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Economics,Econometrics and Finance
General Business,Management and Accounting
General Social Sciences
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Access to Document

10.4337/9781800887435.00082Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Final Published VersionFinal published version, 145 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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Industrial food systems. / Ajates, Raquel.
Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society: Elgar Encyclopedias in the Social Sciences series. ed. / Lewis Holloway; Michael K. Goodman; Damian Maye; Moya Kneafsey; Alexandra E. Sexton; Ana Moragues-Faus. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2025. p. 318–322.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - Industrial food systems

AU - Ajates, Raquel

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Lewis Holloway, Michael K. Goodman, Damian Maye, Moya Kneafsey, Alexandra E. Sexton and Ana Moragues-Faus 2025.

PY - 2025/8/5

Y1 - 2025/8/5

N2 - This entry provides an account of how Industrial Revolutions have shaped and misshaped the development of industrial food systems, considering the social, political and environmental aspects of the technologies that built them. For industrial capital, the materiality and dependency on natural cycles of food production is a risk to its return on investment. To lower this risk, industrial food systems have been striving for the dematerialisation of biological agents, increasing instead the materialisation of industrially synthesised inputs. A critical perspective on the governance challenges ahead arising from the fusion of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is discussed.

AB - This entry provides an account of how Industrial Revolutions have shaped and misshaped the development of industrial food systems, considering the social, political and environmental aspects of the technologies that built them. For industrial capital, the materiality and dependency on natural cycles of food production is a risk to its return on investment. To lower this risk, industrial food systems have been striving for the dematerialisation of biological agents, increasing instead the materialisation of industrially synthesised inputs. A critical perspective on the governance challenges ahead arising from the fusion of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is discussed.

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KW - Technology

KW - Farming

KW - Agriculture

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M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

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EP - 322

BT - Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society

A2 - Holloway, Lewis

A2 - Goodman, Michael K.

A2 - Maye, Damian

A2 - Kneafsey, Moya

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PB - Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.

ER -

Industrial food systems

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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