Reflecting on the Concept of Local Agroecological Food Systems

Javier Sanz-Cañada (), José Luis Sánchez-Hernández and Daniel López-García
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Javier Sanz-Cañada: Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28037 Madrid, Spain
José Luis Sánchez-Hernández: Department of Geography, University of Salamanca, 37002 Salamanca, Spain
Daniel López-García: Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28037 Madrid, Spain

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: Despite the extensive literature on Local Agro-food Systems (LAFS), which involves research on local food identity and organisational proximity, the environmental sustainability of these systems has rarely been addressed. This paper develops a new concept called Local Agroecological Food Systems (LAEFS), which focuses the research not only on local food identity, but also on agroecological principles. We aim to conduct a reflexive review of the literature on the conceptual factors attempting to describe the particular characteristics of LAEFS (distinguishing these from LAFS). We explore five axes of analysis: (a) to establish a compromise at the local level between agro-food sectoral specialisation on the one hand and greater cultivated biodiversity and a more diversified economic structure on the other; (b) to geographically and commercially shorten food channels to the fullest extent; (c) to construct new institutional formulae in the fields of logistics, distribution and public procurement for the scaling up of sustainable food; (d) to develop a participatory, bottom-up, multi-stakeholder and multi-level territorial governance; and (e) to reduce the metabolic profile of food systems by reorganising rural-urban linkages. One of the principal objectives of LAEFS should involve redesigning agricultural and food systems at a scale greater than that of the farm (territory or landscape). This requires both a major public policy push and sustainable territorial governance that incorporate an approach based on territory, food systems and agroecology.

Keywords: specialisation vs. diversification; short food channels; food hubs; cooperative supermarkets; public procurement; territorial governance; urban–rural linkages; metabolism of food systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:6:p:1147-:d:1159187

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