Cheesemakers in the local food system of the Balaton Uplands

Contexts of landscape and economy in contemporary smallholder practices

Abstract

Artisanal cheeses are a typical form of “new kind of artisanal products” and can be used to examine the functioning of local food systems and producers moving from the city to the countryside. The study presents the topic through a case study of cheese makers in the Balaton Uplands, an area in Hungary characterized by strong tourism and gentrification. It interprets the activities of farmers through the examination of external factors and internal resources. It reviews the interconnected sub-areas of production, processing and sales, on the basis of which it classifies farms into types. The study points out that space-defined tourism can have a significant impact on producer practices, but different types use it differently. At the same time, tourism can also contribute to the survival of farms which would not be able to pursue successful economic practices without it.