The Joko Community Learning Center, Nan Province, with an Effort to Create an Alternative Food Regime

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine and describe the establishment process of an alternative food regime by the Joko Community Learning Center in Nan Province. The center created a new negotiating space for food security and food sovereignty through the negotiation of relationships with various actors via activities and projects. The strategy of the Joko Community Learning Center did not involve directly battling or overthrowing power, but it successfully challenged state power by collaborating with farmers to open space at the local level. This research is framed by the concept of the integral state and employs qualitative research methodology. The findings show that the Joko Community Learning Center adopts four primary strategies to negotiate with state power: 1) Developing new knowledge and redefining the role of farmers as managers of agricultural resources; 2) Creating maps of land use based on the Office of the National Land Policy Board’s data to legitimize access to different types of land (both individual and community forest land); 3) Attracting the private sector to the area to create a local bargaining ground for farmers to negotiate with state power at certain levels; and 4) Establishing alternative markets where producers have greater negotiating power.