Cellular agriculture refers to a suite of technologies for using cell cultures and advanced fermentation instead of live animals (e.g., livestock, poultry, fisheries) to produce food for human consumption. Cellular agriculture is positioned to drive significant changes across the food system. While there is much and growing interest in this area of research, a focused and in-depth, critical examination of the social implications surrounding this emerging technology remains underdeveloped. Social science research that assesses the degree to which these technologies both alleviate and reproduce existing social and ecological problems is therefore needed. This Research Topic will feature research that responds to this need.
We seek empirical, theoretical, and analytical papers that address the social, political, ethical, and cultural implications of cellular agriculture. Ideally, these papers will examine the prospects of cellular agriculture as a vehicle for, but also a potential hindrance to, social and ecological sustainability and justice. We welcome disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary submissions of conceptual and empirical research articles, reviews, and commentaries from within and beyond geography, sociology, economics, urban studies, philosophy, political economy, and political science. We also seek work resulting from transdisciplinary collaborations that extend beyond the academy.
We welcome contributions that advance the state of knowledge about the social implications of cellular agriculture, including (but not limited to) papers addressing the following themes/questions:
Food (In)Security: Is cellular agriculture positioned to improve the availability and accessibility of animal protein, and if so, which groups of people are most likely to benefit from these potential increases in food security? Will cellular agriculture improve the distribution of food by bringing production closer to urban centers, and, if so, what might the effects be on rural food security? Who will be able to afford cellular agricultural products, and are they likely to become a boutique product only available to those with relative social privilege in the short term?
Labour and Employment: Is the emergence of cellular agriculture likely to be accompanied with more 'highly skilled' jobs which are more secure and generously compensated? Will cellular agriculture shift employment opportunities away from rural settings? What are the different ownership models that could foster greater equity, inclusivity, diversity, and stability in different scenarios of the development of cellular agriculture?
Power Relations and Governance: If cellular agriculture is successful and disrupts conventional animal protein production systems, how might this technology "amplify" global political-economic disparities between nations? Given concentration in other agri-food sectors such as the meat processing sector, is it likely that cellular agriculture will display similar levels of corporate concentration? How might cellular agriculture challenge or reproduce colonial, gender, and class relations?
Animal Ethics: If cellular agriculture is possible at scale, is there an ethical obligation to adopt this technology? Given current technologies in-use and development, is cellular agriculture really "animal-free"? How might these technologies affect human-animal relationships, from the perspective of protein consumers, livestock farmers, and other members of the public?
Human-Environment Interactions: What are the social, cultural, economic, and political challenges cellular agriculture faces in terms of it becoming an approach for addressing critical environmental issues (e.g., biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, etc.)? What effects (both beneficial and detrimental) might a growing cellular agriculture industry have on ecosystem services, and what are the implications of these effects with respect to human and environmental well-being? How might cellular agriculture change our place-based relationships with the natural world, and how would such changes influence or affect efforts toward environmental sustainability?
Cellular agriculture refers to a suite of technologies for using cell cultures and advanced fermentation instead of live animals (e.g., livestock, poultry, fisheries) to produce food for human consumption. Cellular agriculture is positioned to drive significant changes across the food system. While there is much and growing interest in this area of research, a focused and in-depth, critical examination of the social implications surrounding this emerging technology remains underdeveloped. Social science research that assesses the degree to which these technologies both alleviate and reproduce existing social and ecological problems is therefore needed. This Research Topic will feature research that responds to this need.
We seek empirical, theoretical, and analytical papers that address the social, political, ethical, and cultural implications of cellular agriculture. Ideally, these papers will examine the prospects of cellular agriculture as a vehicle for, but also a potential hindrance to, social and ecological sustainability and justice. We welcome disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary submissions of conceptual and empirical research articles, reviews, and commentaries from within and beyond geography, sociology, economics, urban studies, philosophy, political economy, and political science. We also seek work resulting from transdisciplinary collaborations that extend beyond the academy.
We welcome contributions that advance the state of knowledge about the social implications of cellular agriculture, including (but not limited to) papers addressing the following themes/questions:
Food (In)Security: Is cellular agriculture positioned to improve the availability and accessibility of animal protein, and if so, which groups of people are most likely to benefit from these potential increases in food security? Will cellular agriculture improve the distribution of food by bringing production closer to urban centers, and, if so, what might the effects be on rural food security? Who will be able to afford cellular agricultural products, and are they likely to become a boutique product only available to those with relative social privilege in the short term?
Labour and Employment: Is the emergence of cellular agriculture likely to be accompanied with more 'highly skilled' jobs which are more secure and generously compensated? Will cellular agriculture shift employment opportunities away from rural settings? What are the different ownership models that could foster greater equity, inclusivity, diversity, and stability in different scenarios of the development of cellular agriculture?
Power Relations and Governance: If cellular agriculture is successful and disrupts conventional animal protein production systems, how might this technology "amplify" global political-economic disparities between nations? Given concentration in other agri-food sectors such as the meat processing sector, is it likely that cellular agriculture will display similar levels of corporate concentration? How might cellular agriculture challenge or reproduce colonial, gender, and class relations?
Animal Ethics: If cellular agriculture is possible at scale, is there an ethical obligation to adopt this technology? Given current technologies in-use and development, is cellular agriculture really "animal-free"? How might these technologies affect human-animal relationships, from the perspective of protein consumers, livestock farmers, and other members of the public?
Human-Environment Interactions: What are the social, cultural, economic, and political challenges cellular agriculture faces in terms of it becoming an approach for addressing critical environmental issues (e.g., biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, etc.)? What effects (both beneficial and detrimental) might a growing cellular agriculture industry have on ecosystem services, and what are the implications of these effects with respect to human and environmental well-being? How might cellular agriculture change our place-based relationships with the natural world, and how would such changes influence or affect efforts toward environmental sustainability?