RETHINKING FOOD SYSTEMS: THE ROLE OF RELATIONSHIPS, COLLABORATION AND GOVERNANCE IN SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS

This thesis focused on collaborative short food supply chains (SFSCs), multi-actor initiatives characterized by varying degrees of collective organization and governance among different food system actors. In response to industrialization, globalization, and crises such as climate change, COVID-19 and inflation, SFSCs can be alternatives to reconnect food production and consumption, support local livelihoods, and promote sustainability. The thesis studied the impacts of collaborative SFSCs on sustainability and on the different food chain actors, and the role of multi-actor relationships, collaboration and collective governance in shaping collaborative SFSCs initiatives as alternative economic and social spaces. First, the thesis analysed the actors perceptions on SFSCs’ sustainability impacts compared to long food supply chains. The research then studied farmers’ markets (FMs) and how they shape alternative producer-consumer relationships. Then, multilevel governance processes in different FM models were considered, analyzing internal and external stakeholder relations. Finally, the thesis studied ‘commoning’ practices in alternative grain networks (AGNs), assessing how collective governance supports resource sharing and alternative approaches to agrifood systems. Findings reveal that SFSCs are more than market arrangements; they foster shared economic and social relationships. However, sustaining them requires adaptive governance, resource-sharing, and participatory decision-making, alongside supportive policies to strengthen multi-actor collaboration, infrastructure, and training, ensuring SFSCs' long-term viability and contribution to sustainable agri-food systems.