This workshop focuses on theoretical and practical challenges related to food democracy as a vital approach to transforming food systems while addressing broader democratic challenges, such as citizen disengagement and institutional malfunctioning. The urgency of transitioning food systems stems from their critical role in global sustainability. By examining a range of food democracy initiatives, such as urban food strategies, food policy councils, and citizen summits, the workshop aims to highlight their potential to advance justice, rights, and participatory governance. These initiatives offer valuable insights into democratic practices, enriching broader political science discussions on democratic diversity and innovation.
This workshop explores the governance of sustainable food systems through the lens of food democracy and its implications for democratic governance. Although research on sustainable urban food strategies (SUFS) and grassroots initiatives has grown, gaps remain in understanding how democratic governance enhances both sustainability and renewed democratic engagement. The workshop seeks to address these gaps by examining the design, implementation, and scaling of food democracy initiatives—such as food policy councils, citizen summits, and participatory governance models—across different governance levels.
Despite growing interest, questions persist about the effectiveness of these democratic innovations in transforming food systems and enhancing democratic participation. Research has highlighted the role of civil society organisations, social entrepreneurs, and public authorities in advancing food democracy initiatives. However, the link between these efforts and broader political engagement remains underexplored. Additionally, although food democracy is recognised for fostering sustainable food policies, more comprehensive studies are needed on the institutional frameworks supporting these efforts and their broader democratic potential.
By gathering scholars from political science and related fields, the workshop aims to enhance both theoretical and empirical understanding of food democracy's relevance to democratic governance. It will provide insights into how participatory processes and democratic innovations in the food sector can be applied to other governance areas, such as environmental management, public health, and social justice. The workshop will contribute to political science by exploring how food democracy informs theories of deliberative democracy, collaborative governance, and policy innovation, offering a richer framework for analysing democratic practices across various contexts.
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1: How do food democracy initiatives foster equity, accountability, and responsiveness in governance?
2: How do food democracy initiatives influence policy changes and impact food systems and democratic engagement?
3: How can studying food democracy inform theories of democracy, governance, and participation?
4: What challenges limit scaling food democracy initiatives, and how can these be overcome?
5: How do food democracy initiatives interact with power structures and impact political change?
1: Impact of food democracy on policy, democracy, and local food systems.
2: Food democracy’s role in equity, accountability, responsiveness, and political re-engagement.
3: Food democracy as a model for deliberative democracy, governance, and revitalising democratic practices.
4: Scaling food democracy: challenges and opportunities from local to global.
5: Political partisanship, local culture, and governance structures’ influence on food democracy success.
6: Comparative analysis of food democracy initiatives in different contexts.
7: Role of civil society and social movements in advancing food democracy and broader political and social change.
8: Food democracy and power: effects on participation, justice, and governance transformation.
