The challenges emerging from the new modes of governance around food

Health and sustainability concerns related to food production and consumption involve a multiplicity of actors and responsibilities. New models of interaction and decision making are increasingly experimented to fine tune context based solutions. These new forms of food governance develop along three types of relationships: civil society and the food chain; the public sector and the food chain; policy makers and civil society. The 7thFP Foodlinks project aimed at exploring new modalities of science policycivil society interaction in the domain of sustainable food production and consumption. Looking at the experience across twelve European countries, the project deepened the specific innovative pathways undertaken along each of the three governance axes, by experimenting with Communities of Practice (CoP) as a dedicated space for interaction. Here we summarize the challenges emerging from the interface between civil society and the food chain (the “Short Supply Chain CoP”). What changes do the new societal demands require to producers and production systems? What contribution from public policies and what institutional innovation could be useful to meet the new claims? Based on the case studies within the project, we discuss implications emerging about specific issues.