A sociological research on ecological food defenders'practics of production, patterns consumption and daily life in İstanbul

This thesis discusses the production practics, consumption and daily life habits of individuals who strive to reach organic, sustainable, natural and clean food in urban life from a sociological perspective. In this thesis, the nutritional preference of ecological food defenders are examined in the context of their lifestyles. These individuals search for healthy food by finding alternative ways in Istanbul, their ties with rural, and the social relations that arise in these processes are discussed. The data, this study grounded on, gathered via qualitative method in order to to develop in-depth and detailed perspective. The fieldwork conducted with fifteen participants between the ages of twenty-four and seventy years. The participants are the residents of Istanbul who are working or retired, choose to eat natural and organically, try to be sensitive while producing and consuming. They were also social entrepreneurs who producing alternative products and have certain connection with rural. These interviews are conducted with in-depth interview technique and discussed in three sections in the thesis. Consequently, when looking at the daily life practices of ecological food defenders, it is observed that food have an important place in their lives during the processes from production to waste. It is seen that the participants have developed new forms of relations with the rural while trying to reach organic, sustainable, clean food in the urban. Finally, it is seen that the participants perform day-to-day activities which are amalgamation of production and consumption and which are stand beyond the duality of production and consumption.