The pandemic was a wake-up call on the centrality of a local approach to the sustainability of food systems. In that sense, a growing number of initiatives at the municipal level are focusing on coordinating actions to amplify agroecology.
In this session, outstanding initiatives from all over the world present programs and policies designed to promote production, commercialization, and access to healthy food. This also provides the opportunity to facilitate cross-learning and networking among participants attending the Milan Pact Forum, focusing on innovative initiatives to advance agroecology-based food systems,
and on building territorial food supply chains that connect the needs and goals of small cities (food producers) with those of large urban centers (food consumers).
The panel will also present the findings of participatory research aimed at mapping and developing good governance practices in local food systems. Finally, this session will host the launch of the report on the International Seminar on Agroecology in Subnational Policies.
These issues are key factors within the Milan Urban Policy Pact framework that recommends that municipal food policies apply an ecosystem approach to guide holistic and integrated land-use planning. This strategy minimizes risk and enhances opportunities for agroecological production, biodiversity conservation and farmland protection, as well as adaptation to climate change.
Additionally, this panel brings the core strategies identified by numerous initiatives supported by the The Agroecology Fund toward the improvement of agroecology at the municipal level. In December 2024, the Agroecology Fund organised an international seminar to discuss the role of subnational governments in advancing resilient local food systems.