Participatory Certification and Alternative Markets. A Case Study of Mexico City

Abstract

The Localized Agri-Food Systems (Sial, in Spanish) approach has paid little attention to Participatory Certifications (PC) as a result of relationships of trust and solidarity between producers and consumers into the alternative markets, which have acquired relevance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article asks if these markets and the CPs are an expression of consumer recognition of the quality and origin of agrobiodiversity products from traditional agri-food systems; and if the alternative markets are a sign of a new food paradigm. To answer these questions, a three-stage investigation was carried out in Mexico City with qualitative mixed techniques. The results show that there is an emergence of these markets, but also a differentiation, both in the forms of distribution and in the opinions about the PC derived from the difficulties and opportunities of these forms of marketing.