Roadmapping to Enhance Local Food Supply: Case Study of a City-Region in Austria

Simon Berner, Hartmut Derler, René Rehorska, Stephan Pabst and Ulrike Seebacher
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Simon Berner: Institute of Applied Production Sciences, Sustainable Food Management, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Eggenberger Allee 11, 8020 Graz, Austria
Hartmut Derler: Institute of Applied Production Sciences, Sustainable Food Management, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Eggenberger Allee 11, 8020 Graz, Austria
René Rehorska: Institute of Applied Production Sciences, Sustainable Food Management, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Eggenberger Allee 11, 8020 Graz, Austria
Stephan Pabst: Institute of Applied Production Sciences, Sustainable Food Management, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Eggenberger Allee 11, 8020 Graz, Austria
Ulrike Seebacher: Institute of Applied Production Sciences, Sustainable Food Management, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Eggenberger Allee 11, 8020 Graz, Austria

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: Due to the current challenges of climate change, population growth in urban settlements and resource depletion, agri-food researchers have put an increasing emphasis on the sustainability transitions of food systems. In this regard, there has been an increasing interest in the local food supply of cities and their surrounding regions, as local food is considered to be a contributing factor toward more sustainable, resilient and just urban food systems. Based on this background, a roadmapping process was conducted to assess the status quo and to identify measures to enhance the local food supply in the city-region of Graz in Austria. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 47 stakeholders, analysed textual materials and calculated food carrying capacities. The obtained data served as input for a series of three workshops, where measures were derived. Our results suggest that cooperation among agri-food stakeholders should be facilitated by local decision makers in order to promote food from regional sources within the target area. Furthermore, smart technologies can help to scale-up local food supply schemes, and to track down food stocks and flows more efficiently. Besides, food policy councils and open food labs can help to incubate food product innovations and to support partnerships among agri-food stakeholders, including local small-scale farmers. In the future, engagement and empowerment processes with local food stakeholders should be addressed to enable transformational processes. Roadmaps can help to initiate such processes.

Keywords: local food supply; city-region; cooperation; food planning; small-scale farmers; smart food city; roadmapping (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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