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- Characterization of Sustainable Food Initiatives: Preliminary Study.Publication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Amaral, Ana Luísa; Costa, Filipa; Guiné, Raquel; Amaro da Costa, Cristina IsabelAbstract: A sustainable food system can be described as a system that ensures economic, social, and environmental sustainability to secure food and nutrition for current and future generations. The present research aimed to identify and characterize sustainable food initiatives to understand the governance framework, the motivations, the reasons for success, the typology of actors involved, and future prospects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for seven initiatives between June and August 2024. The interviews were performed online, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. The results showed that the main drivers of the initiatives relate to food, sustainability, and economic and social dimensions. Moreover, one of the reasons for the success of the initiatives is the availability and commitment of the people involved. These initiatives were created to meet local needs and promote sustainability as well as to encourage economic circularity, knowledge sharing, rural and local valorization, and waste management.
- Analysis of Governance models for sustainable and healthy food systemsPublication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Amaral, Ana Luísa; Costa, Filipa; Guiné, Raquel; Costa, Cristina Amaro daSustainable food systems are systems that safeguard economic, social and environmental sustainability by fomenting social progress, promoting efficient management of natural resources, providing nutritious food and ensuring fair compensation for all actors in the food chain. In recent years, several initiatives worldwide have been created to ensure and promote the sustainability of the current food systems. These initiatives aim to enable people to have access to quality, nutritious and sustainable foods, combat social and economic inequalities and promote synergies between consumers and producers. To promote these initiatives is crucial in order to contribute to improved food consumption and production patterns towards more nutritive and sustainable foods. The objective of this research was to identify and characterize sustainable food initiatives in order to understand their structure, model of governance, motivations, typology of actors involved and future prospects. This investigation was based on an interview guide that was applied to the managers or those responsible for the sustainable initiatives related with the food system. Seven initiatives were included, and the semi- structured interviews were carried out online during the summer of 2024. The recorded interviews were transcribed, and the content analysed. The results obtained by the interviews showed that the principal motivators are related to food and sustainability, in all three, economic, environmental and social, dimensions. It was further identified that the most important cause of success was the availability and commitment of the people involved in the initiative. The seven initiatives analysed were implemented to meet local needs, both of producers and consumers, while promoting sustainability. Furthermore, they aimed at encouraging economic circularity, transference and sharing of knowledge, valorisation of local and rural resources, and management of food waste. These aspects contribute to more efficient and eco-friendly local food supply chains, providing the consumers with fresher and heathier food products. The existence of local or nationwide initiatives related with the sustainability of food system contribute to a more efficient use of natural resources in order to obtain healthy, sustainable and fair food products, that the modern consumers tend to value in search for a more friendly co-existence between the necessity to produce food and the recognized need to preserve the natural ecosystems.