This project builds upon ongoing research within the INSPIRA research group of the Department of Agricultural Economics. The central question is how the operationalization of concepts such as food democracy and food sovereignty can contribute to the necessary transition of agricultural and food systems in various local contexts in the Global North and South. We study the role of local actors (producers, citizens, civil society, policymakers, consumers, scientists) in shaping local food systems and explore how forums such as food councils, consultation bodies, farmers' meetings, etc., should be approached as inherently politicized spaces. We pay particular attention to movements that drive the transition from an agro-ecological perspective and establish connections between rural and urban areas.

Empirically, the focus is on the city of Ghent and Flanders, with connections to ongoing projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America.