The roots of the city. Creative food systems in European small towns

Abstract

This communication presents the results of AGRI-URBAN, an EU-funded project, where a group of eleven European small and medium sized cities with a relative specialization in agri-food production have explored ways to rethink their food systems. The project was led by policymakers in each city and has engaged stakeholders and most importantly local citizens in every stage of the planning and implementation of initiatives. The main objectives have been to develop an inclusive, coherent and reflexive urban-rural food governance system through municipal integrated action plans; to deploy a more solid social and physical infrastructure to reduce the distance between producers and consumers and to promote circular economy; to create reliable markets for quality food producers, resulting in new opportunities for SMEs development; to experiment new forms of entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector, and to create new jobs and skills linked to the agri-food system. The project added value has been to facilitate city-to-city learning with 'transnational' visits that enabled participants to engage in peer discussions and develop a deeper understanding of shared issues as well as to utilize opportunities for examining relevant local good practices in host cities and create networking opportunities. The communication displays the different local level and bottom-up initiatives these cities have activated by means of innovation and new business models and strategies, organized around four cross-cutting topics: Ensuring short circuits; Smart land use; Business development of SMEs and Local public procurement, and how these initiatives have been articulated in sustainable urban food agendas