Harry Konstantinidis

Biography

Charalampos (Harry) Konstantinidis, University of Massachusetts Boston

Charalampos (Harry) Konstantinidis is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His research lies in the intersection of political economy and ecological economics. His recent work examines the socio-economic dimensions of the growth of organic farming in the EU, as well as the inverse relationship between farm size and productivity in rural Kenya. His work has appeared, among others, in Feminist Economics, and the Review of Radical Political Economics.

Abstract

“Erst kommt das Fressen”: Food Insecurity and Food Sovereignty in Greece

One of the striking and often overlooked consequences of the ongoing Greek crisis is the sharp increase in hunger and food insecurity, the latter doubling over the last five years. This paper traces the central position of food and agriculture in the post-2010 structural adjustment programs, which suggested that internal devaluation and liberalization would restore Greek competitiveness and solve the Greek crisis. The austerity programs, however, reduced access to food for large parts of the population. This paper examines the role of formal and informal security mechanisms, as well as the new movements around food that developed during the crisis to help Greek households cope with material deprivation. The paper concludes by discussing food sovereignty as an economic and political project in Greece, its role in the productive reconstruction of the Greek economy, and its potential for alleviating food insecurity and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.