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The alternative marketing of food (MMAA) aims at promoting proximity access to sane alimentation via the networking of producers and consumers in short food chains, and at strengthening social and community development, conviviality and food security in neighborhoods. This paper, based on an action-research process led with MMAA initiatives, questions the strategies fostered by these initiatives to contribute to the sustainability transition of the agrifood system. The sustainability transitions approach is used to look at the challenges faced by MMAA initiative in this respect. Two challenges are analyzed: the problem of fragmentation of the MMAA “niche”, and the problem of the economic lock-in of the “sociotechnical agrifood regime”. The paper concludes by drawing three possible strategies to help MMAA initiatives facing these challenges.