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LOCAL FOOD POLICIES AS A DRIVER OF SUSTAINABILITY: INSIGHTS FROM AN ACTION-RESEARCH APPLICATION IN CATANIA, ITALY
Abstract
Food policy has gained growing attention in both academic research and local governance, driven by the global movement toward more sustainable food systems, which promotes a systemic and holistic approach integrating multiple scales and actors in the food system. The study advances through an in-depth review of the literature on governance within the field of local food policies, with a particular focus on innovative strategies that may guide territories toward a sustainable transition. Specially, this paper aims, on the one hand, to identify and assess the territorial resources associated with the food system domain, and, on the other, to outline a possible methodological framework for the development of a local food policy for the city of Catania, Italy. The study forms part of the research project “Emplacing Food-Narratives, Policies and Space in Italy”, which investigates the transformations of local food systems. Adopting an action-research approach, it proposes a framework to be applied to potential case study. Findings reveal significant social needs within the city of Catania, and emphasize the importance of harnessing its territorial potential to develop a food policy grounded in principles of social justice, food welfare, and place-based food systems. The mapping of initiatives within Catania reveals the absence of a formal food policy. Nevertheless, a range of related projects is underway.
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