“Commodity Stories” are methodological analyses that seek to uncover the diverse social, environmental, political, and economic relationships that underpin the production, distribution, and consumption of everyday items we purchase. In 2000 words or less, write a “food commodity story” that follows the journey of one particular food item from field (or sea) to plate.
The paper should address all of these following questions in a clear and logical manner:
– Why and when did the food commodity become a commodity in the first place?
– Where and how is the food commodity produced?
– What impact (if any) does the commodity have on the environment?
– Who are the labourers that produce the commodity?
– Which actors (if any) profit from the commodity, which actors (if any) suffer?
– Who consumes the food commodity and why do they consume it (taste, culture, cost, meaning, etc).
