Integrated food policies in south-western France: Insights from local policy-making outside major urban areas

Acting on the rescaling of food systems for more sustainability calls for the deployment of integrated policies, i.e., consideration of the different dimensions of the food system, the different components and actors of the food chains, and the breakdown of the usual “silos” of policy-making. To encourage local food policies, the French government launched a national strategy that fosters the creation of territorial food projects, referred to as Projets Alimentaires Territoriaux (PATs). This study analyses how local authorities outside major urban areas in France attempt to shape integrated food policies through the building of PATs. We based our research on five case studies in south-western France (52 semi-structured interviews and document analysis). Our results first show how these local policies are linked to the national ones and how they are shaped by the combination of local context and national policy requirements. They also show which parts of the local food system are addressed by the actions of local policies, revealing a focus on production and school catering supply. Third, we observe the governance of these policies and show the pivotal work of the local authorities to bring together a variety of stakeholders with an emphasis on agricultural institutions. Despite a perfectible level of integration, these local food policies show the local authorities’ determination to get actively involved in food issues. • In France, local food policy-making is partly shaped by national programmes for food and nutrition. • Local food projects (PATs) are partly formed by pooling pre-existing initiatives. • Integration is being sought but still in progress. • The farming sector is a major partner in these projects. • The participation of civil society organisations fluctuates between commitment and service provision.