S09 - Session P1 - Integration of urban horticulture into market, education and policy - Policies for growing innovative City Region Food Systems. Results of an analysis in six European countries

Authors: Runrid Fox-Kämper, Kathrin Specht, Anna Wissmann, Adam Curtis , Laura Martinez

The current environmental, social and economic challenges have highlighted the importance of sustainable City Region Food Systems (CRFS) to achieve food and nutrition security. While technical innovations bloom (e.g., vertical farms, rooftop greenhouses), alternative production and management models (e.g., community-based agriculture or farmers markets) are evolving rapidly, legislation tools and strategic programs are lagging behind, and at European level a general and consistent overview on supportive and hindering policies is lacking. In order to gaining insights into existing national and international regulatory frameworks and policies and the way how these affect the establishment of sustainable local food chains we collected EU, national and regional/local policies on CRFS in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Netherlands and Spain) and from six correspondent city regions. An extensive analysis was conducted to identify constraints and challenges. Results were discussed in workshops with stakeholders such as representatives of municipalities or food initiatives and reflected in key expert interviews. Policy-related factors that either promote or limit the growth of innovative CRFS are diverse, depending on the EU region and the local contexts.