Local food policies as a driver of sustainability: insights from an action-research application in Catania, Italy

Food policy has gained growing attention in both academic research and local governance, driven by the global movement toward more sustainable food systems, which promotes a systemic and holistic approach integrating multiple scales and actors in the food system. The study advances through an in-depth review of the literature on governance within the field of local food policies, with a particular focus on innovative strategies that may guide territories toward a sustainable transition. Specially, this paper aims, on the one hand, to identify and assess the territorial resources associated with the food system domain, and, on the other, to outline a possible methodological framework for the development of a local food policy for the city of Catania, Italy. The study forms part of the research project “Emplacing Food-Narratives, Policies and Space in Italy”, which investigates the transformations of local food systems. Adopting an actionresearch approach, it proposes a framework to be applied to potential case study. Findings reveal significant social needs within the city of Catania, and emphasize the importance of harnessing its territorial potential to develop a food policy grounded in principles of social justice, food welfare, and place-based food systems. The mapping of initiatives within Catania reveals the absence of a formal food policy. Nevertheless, a range of related projects is underway.