Assembling future protein geographies: An introduction to the session

Abstract

Modern industrialized assemblages of meat production and consumption are regarded as being at the crossroads of several global crises: zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistances, resource overuse and ecological devastation, climate change and disregards of non-human rights and interests. Some of these crises (… or: the sum of these crises …) not only seen as aberrations, but as threats to humanity. Several actors, initiatives and movements have reacted to several of these problems by drafting, designing, and promoting novel assemblages of protein production that are presented as avoiding/overcoming aberrations of the past. They are promissory. Drawing on debates on anticipating future geographies, we consider attempts of developing alternative protein supplies as

promises to re-assemble the production of alternative protein in ways. These alternatives are assumed to have the potential to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly than traditional animal-based proteins, however, including uncertainties for human societies, inter-species relations, and habitats, thus inviting widespread speculations about how material and metaphorical landscapes of future protein production and consumption will look alike.

The technological, political, and cultural conditions of alternative futures of food (including protein) provision and sovereignty are matters of debates across diverse disciplines. As consumers become more aware of the environmental and health benefits of plant-based diets, the demand for plant-based protein sources is likely to increase. Growing consumer demand, in turn, will lead to the development of new protein products, a tendency that becomes evident in the ongoing expansion of novel protein industries. In addition, the future of dietary protein is likely to include other alternative protein sources such as insects, algae, and lab-grown meat. Some of them are in experimental state or already on the market, while others are subject to ongoing scientific endeavors and science fictions.

The presentation introduces into the topic of the session and relates critical investigations ot the Plantationocene, debates on future geographies and promissory attempts of assembling alternative proteins.