Agrobiodiversity-Oriented Food Systems between Public Policies and Private Action: A Socio-Ecological Model for Sustainable Territorial Development

Silvia Scaramuzzi, Sara Gabellini, Giovanni Belletti and Andrea Marescotti
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Silvia Scaramuzzi: Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, 50144 Florence, Italy
Sara Gabellini: Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, 50144 Florence, Italy
Andrea Marescotti: Department of Economics and Management, University of Florence, 50127 Florence, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-32

Abstract: The international and European literature and institutional contexts are fostering agrobiodiversity as the foundation of a new paradigm for localized agri-food system development and sustainability. Accordingly, new systemic and holistic theoretical approaches and conceptual models are needed. This paper aims to identify and apply a new conceptual framework contributing to the understanding of how the restoring and valorization of underutilized or neglected landraces can act as a trigger for sustainable territorial development. A new holistic model was designed for the characterization and analysis of agrobiodiversity-oriented food systems. We consider the model innovative in enhancing the conceptualization of the adoption of a socio-ecological systems approach. We applied the model to a representative case study involving the localized agri-food system of the Valtiberina Red Onion, a threatened plant landrace cultivated in Tuscany, Italy. A participatory action–research approach was followed, involving both public and private stakeholders. As the main outcome of the paper, we demonstrated the capability of our new SES model by identifying and describing the assets, drivers, human action processes and generated beneficial effects concerning the development and reproduction of landrace-based quality valorization virtuous circles. Our research findings highlighted the model as an innovative tool for the analysis of agrobiodiversity-oriented food systems sustainability. Significantly, the model was designed to identify the combined role of public policy and private action in supporting the implementation of coherent management mechanisms and effective governance settings.

Keywords: agricultural biodiversity; localized agri-food systems; sustainability transition; socio-ecological systems; origin-linked quality valorization virtuous circles; multi-stakeholder governance models; hybrid management mechanisms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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