Exploring the Policy and Politics in Addressing Multiple Crises in the Agri-Food Domain

Agri-food policies are increasingly expected to address a multitude of crises, from climate risks and biodiversity loss to food security and supply chain disruptions. Despite these demands, the agri-food sector has displayed significant continuity in its underlying paradigm, with an exceptionalist legacy persisting in the form of post-exceptionalism. This concept denotes a partial transformation in which old and new ideas, institutions, interests, and policy instruments coexist, resulting in complex dynamics rather than a complete normalization of agri-food policy. A defining feature of policy measures aimed at addressing unsustainable food production, processing, or consumption is the necessity for cross-sectoral policy and governance arrangements. This requires interlinkages at local, national and global levels with various policy domains, such as environment and climate change, energy, water, public health, animal welfare, biotechnology, development, trade, security, international politics, and migration. However, while recent political demands seek to address multiple crises – such as climate change (SDG 13), biodiversity loss (SDG 15), water pollution (SDG 6), and antimicrobial resistance (SDG 3) – the policy measures adopted often fall short of achieving the desired impacts. This shortfall has led to new governance challenges and the emergence of potentially contested modes of governance within the agri-food domain. This section brings together theoretical and empirical research on the dynamics of agri-food policymaking under conditions of multiple crisis, exploring the interplay of continuity and change in the sector. Topics include the drivers and obstacles of agri-food policy reform, such as pressures from civil society, shifting policy priorities, and multiple sustainability crises; the impact of new agendas centered on competitiveness, resilience, and security on agri-food policies and institutions; the influence of climate risks in shaping agri-food policy within a post-exceptionalist framework; the role of democratic innovations like food policy councils and citizen summits in fostering sustainable and inclusive local food governance; and the unique challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in achieving food and nutrition security amid global crises. 1. Exploring the dynamics of agri-food policy reform Chairs: Gerry Alons (Radboud University), Carsten Daugbjerg (University of Copenhagen) Agricultural and food policies have been subject to reform over the last three decades. Changed priorities within civil society, increased mobilization of and access for a wider range of interests with respect to food, and multiple sustainability crises in agricultures have been suggested as the drivers of reform. Under this sub-topic, we welcome papers addressing reform dynamics in past and ongoing reform efforts: How can we explain elements of continuity and change? How do experiences with previous policies feed back into current reform dynamics? 2. Agri-Food Policy under New Agendas: All in for competitiveness, food security, resilience? Chairs: Sandra Schwindenhammer (Justus Liebig University Giessen), Peter H. Feindt (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) Policy agendas have globally shifted towards an emphasis on competitiveness, security and resilience, as exemplified by the Draghi and Letta reports in the EU. This panel explores how this is affecting agri-food policies. What is the role of the agri-food sector in these broader and contested agendas? Are agri-food exceptionalism and productivism being reinforced, challenged, or transformed? Do the new agendas undermine, reinterpret, or reorient post-exceptionalist agri-food policies? How do agri-food policy entrepreneurs engage with the new agendas? What are the prospects for the exceptionalist agri-food policy institutions and instruments? 3. Climate Risks in Agriculture and Post-Exceptionalist Policy Making Chairs: Adam Sheingate (Johns Hopkins University), Paolo Graziano (University of Padua) The food sector is simultaneously a producer of greenhouse gas emissions, a source of climate change remediation, and a sector uniquely vulnerable to climate risks. Yet, agricultural policies are often resistant or slow to adopt sustainable practices. This tension is a product of post-exceptionalism, where both old and new ideas, institutions, interests and policy instruments coexist. We invite paper submissions for this panel that conceptualize this partial process of transformation in order to better understand the politics of agricultural transitions. 4. Exploring Food Governance: Local Food Strategies, Democracy, and Policy Change Chairs: Giulia Bazzan (Tilburg University), Ekaterina Domorenok (University of Padua) This panel examines sustainable food system governance through food democracy, addressing democratic engagement and policy transformation. Despite rising interest in Sustainable Urban Food Strategies (SUFS), gaps persist in understanding how democratic innovations, such as food policy councils and citizen summits, enhance local food policies. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions to explore the design, implementation, and scaling of food democracy initiatives across governance levels. The panel will offer new insights into participatory models for sustainable governance, identifying pathways toward inclusive and effective policy responses in food systems and related areas, including environmental management and public health. 5. Food Politics in the Global South Chairs: Ivica Petrikova (Royal Holloway, University of London), Tim Dorlach (University of Bayreuth) This panel explores the challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across the Global South regarding food and nutrition security, particularly in the face of accelerating climate change, rapid urbanisation, and complex global agricultural trade environment. The included paper contributions offer diverse insights into these issues, examining the influence of political structures on LMICs' food and nutrition security policies, evaluating the effectiveness of different governance models in addressing nutrition challenges, and exploring strategies employed by LMICs to mitigate the impact of climate change on agricultural production. Building on new theoretical frameworks and drawing on original empirical data, these contributions will enrich our understanding of the multifaceted dimensions inherent in global food and nutrition security and sustainable development studies.