Two Food Partnership webinars: Making local food policy a lasting public policy

Two key dimensions of multi-level food governance

The Food Partnership, with the support of two external experts, has carried out an extensive analysis to address two key questions:

• How can national, regional and intermediary arrangements help local food policies start, continue and influence decisions taken above the municipal level?
• How can cities participate in S3/RIS3 processes and regional strategies and programmes, while gaining clear and lasting benefits from regional innovation and investment?

This work has been carried out as part of Actions 2 and 3 of the Food Action Plan, which examine two interconnected dimensions of this challenge.

• Action 2 “Showcasing the Role of Regional and National Actors in Supporting Local Food Policies” focuses on how regional, national and intermediary actors can support collaborative governance, capacity building and networking for local food policies.
• Action 3 “Building Bridges between Local Authorities and Relevant Regional Strategies” explores how local authorities can engage in regional programmes and Smart Specialisation processes, influence priorities and funding, and ensure that these processes deliver clear and lasting benefits for their territories.

The key outputs produced identify inspiring models and mechanisms, barriers and areas for improvement, and provides a practical roadmap together with two related policy briefs.

A comparative and evidence-based approach

The analysis draws on a comparative, qualitative and triangulated evidence base, bringing together several complementary sources. These include structured desk research, institutional and programme mapping, 38 interviews and live consultations, written contributions and institutional validation, three targeted surveys, country portraits, and a focused review of Agri-Food S3 partnerships and city-region cases.
Rather than ranking countries or measuring the prevalence of particular approaches across Europe, the analysis focuses on identifying functions, mechanisms and enabling conditions that can be adapted and transferred across different territorial and institutional contexts.

From evidence to action: twelve priority recommendations

Based on the evidence gathered, twelve recommendations have been developed:

• Six recommendations for Action 2, focusing on recognition, differentiated support, coordination and financing, intermediary capacity, fair access and institutionalisation.
• Six recommendations for Action 3, focusing on municipal access to S3, early project preparation, territorial investment pipelines, defined city roles and benefits, continuity, and broader innovation portfolios.

Read the evidence and policy brief for an overview of the key findings and proposed policy recommendations.

Action 2 - Evidence & Policy Brief

Action 3 - Evidence & Policy Brief

Two webinars will be organised in September to gather feedback on the findings and validate the key recommendations, helping to shape the final recommendations at EU, national and regional levels.

Join the webinars and contribute your views

Your input will help ensure that the final recommendations are relevant, practical and useful for cities and the actors supporting local food policies across Europe