Collaborative governance in Swedish municipal food systems planning: starting conditions, institutional design, and facilitative leadership

Food systems planning plays a critical role in transforming food systems. Collaborative governance among diverse stakeholders is essential, with municipalities positioned as key actors due to their competencies in food-related domains. This study examines how Swedish municipalities engage in collaborative food systems planning and identifies factors that enable or constrain these efforts. Semi-structured interviews with officials from ten municipalities were analysed focusing on starting conditions, institutional design, and facilitative leadership. Findings reveal persistent barriers across three types of collaboration: within municipalities, with neighbouring municipal organizations, and with external actors. Internal collaboration often lacks cross-departmental coordination with few having a coordinating actor. The absence of local food strategies and a long-term planning perspective hinder internal collaboration. Inter-municipal collaboration occurs mainly through joint procurement, which builds networks, but is hampered by differences in ambition and resources. External collaboration tends to be short-term and driven by individual initiatives, and actors such as food sector organizations play a key role in broader collaboration. Overall, municipal collaboration remains fragmented. Key enablers include political will, resources and committed officials. Moreover, there was little evidence of a comprehensive food systems approach. Strengthening institutional structures, coordination, and cross-departmental collaboration is vital for resilient local food systems.