Food, Gender, and Culture: The Cultural and Economic Importance of Processing and Marketing Networks for Lupine (Chocho) in Quito

This project addresses the scarce academic reflection in Ecuador regarding the functioning of food networks, their cultural and economic links, and the specific impact on women's empowerment and identity construction. It focuses on the informal processing and marketing networks of lupin, contrasting these dynamics with state initiatives for 'associative local commercial networks' that often overlook pre-existing organizational culture. The research aims to fill theoretical gaps, particularly the absence of a gender perspective in Latin American food network studies, which leads to the invisibility of women's labor and a lack of supportive policies for alternative economies. The primary methodology combines network analysis (Latour) and space from a gender perspective (Massey), utilizing an ethnographic approach centered on fieldwork, diaries, informal conversations, and network mapping. The findings will be compiled for publication in a book on the global importance of lupin, serving as an advancement of prior doctoral research.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>The main objective is to explain how the informal processing and marketing networks of lupin empower women and sustain economic and social organizational forms that are less hierarchical and more inclusive in Ecuador.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>Food networks and chains