Within the international agri-food community at least four theoretical targets are attracting increasing attention. They are: (1) the established notions of networks and commodity chains that are being revisited by way of critical engagement informed by the insights of in-depth empirical work, (2) the metrics of calculation and institutional embedding that underpin the rise and functionality of governance technologies, (3) the place of regional networking in creating conditions that make possible agri-food producer participation in local provisioning and supply, and (4) the geo-historical dimensions of interconnection and interdependency in the agri-food sphere. This volume brings together an interdisciplinary team of anthropologists, economists, business and management academics and geographers to examine a wide range of case studies illustrating various agri-food commodity chains and networks around the world and to discuss how they link globally.

'This book advances the global commodity chain literature by lucid, original surveys of a rich array of agri-food networks from around the world. The diversity of local experience, the roles of place as agri-food chains globalize, the location dynamics of value-adding activities and policy implications are admirably demonstrated.' Roger Hayter, Simon Fraser University, Canada 'Agri-Food Commodity Chains and Globalising Networks effectively spans the world of food production, both in terms of geography and in terms of the breadth of subjects covered here. Academics and postgraduates from a wide range of disciplines will find this book a useful reader...an essential addition to any university library.' European Spatial Research and Policy

Dr Christina Stringer is a lecturer in the Department of International Business, University of Auckland, and Richard Le Heron is a Professor in the School of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand.