INTRODUCTION: The Covid-19 pandemic affected food systems in many countries and emphasized a lot of already existing social, economic and environmental agri-food problems. Alternative food networks (AFNs), praised for their ability to improve the food systems, were under stress, however, at the same time, the changed conditions may have opened new possibilities. In this paper we address the importance of AFNs during the pandemic and investigate how households have changed their participation in AFNs. Our research is novel by simultaneously focusing on both market and non-market AFNs which are often studied separately. METHODS: A representative questionnaire study of Czech households was carried out in Autumn 2021 to provide a case study of food and consumption behavior of the European country after several waves of Covid-19. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Based on the responses of 515 participants, the results show that 68% of Czech households participate in some form of AFNs, be it shopping or food self-provisioning, i.e., non-market food procurement in the form of gardening. Focusing on the market AFNs, farmers' markets and farm gate sales are the most popular. Covid-19 and 2021 emerging economic pressures led to a decrease of consumption of organic food (22% of respondents) as well as fresh fruit and vegetables in general (10% of respondents) and a noticeable occurrence of food insecurity (18% of households). Based on these findings, the paper discusses the ability of AFNs to support food and nutritional resilience. Problems which may endanger market-oriented AFNs are discussed as well. CONCLUSION: By addressing both market and non-market AFNs, the paper brings new knowledge into the food environment and agri-food policies research.

• Keywords
• Agri-food value chains, COVID-19, alternative food networks, food behavior, food self-provisioning, resilience,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Recent global turmoil has added to the importance of food security issues and the sustainability of production processes worldwide. This study aims to uncover the degree of domestic industries' dependence on the international fragmentation of production processes and identify the countries of origin of those producers who have managed to displace domestic producers in corresponding Global Value Chains. Using data retrieved from the World Input-Output Database, we studied Czechia's example via demarcation of domestic value-added (DVA) shares from foreign ones in final domestic products. A declining trend in DVA signalises an ever-increasing dependence on foreign inputs. The conducted analysis allowed a VA-structure (and its dynamics for a sequence of years) to be clearly identified for final domestic products among 30 industries that virtually cover the entire economy. The most alarming finding is the marked reduction of DVA in food manufacturing, which points to a weakening of Czech food security. Realising all the connections within GVCs may help to identify vulnerable spots in domestic production processes and prepare adequate response mechanisms in potential situations of possible interruptions from the foreign side. The detailed explanation of the decomposition technique provided in the study can be used in similar analyses of other economies to reveal noteworthy trends and prepare response measures.

• Keywords
• Czechia, Final domestic product, Food security, Global value chains, Input-output analysis, Value-added,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH