Fostering local food systems through policy and governance. A case study of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica

Local food systems in the Osa Peninsula are influenced by both national food policies from the Government of Costa Rica, and local food governance, the latter as a response by cooperatives and associations of consumers and farmers in the territory. This paper describes initiatives that localize the food system as a solution to tradeoffs between national food policies such as import substitution and non-traditional export and centralized food procurement using a food system approach. In-depth interviews with main representatives of local associations and cooperatives were carried out, alongside a literature review to identify food policies. As a result of detrimental effects resulting from the reorientation of economic export strategies, centralized food-oriented policies, and shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic, new actors in the territory and local food system have arisen with the purpose of improving food and nutrition security.