TIB: Governance … and Food Systems

K-HUB > Thematic Interfaces > Food Systems and governance

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  • Governance ... and Food Systems

    Thematic Integration Brief by AFS and PGE Networks

    PDF2.01 MB1 September 2026

Why governance matters for food systems?

Food systems are shaped not only by technical choices, but also by rules, institutions, power relations and political decisions. As they cut across sectors, actors and levels, from local communities and markets to national institutions and global processes, addressing food and nutrition insecurity, environmental degradation and inequalities requires navigating different interests, priorities and trade-offs.

Applying a governance lens therefore shifts the question from only “What needs to change in the food system?” to also asking “Who decides, who has influence, who benefits or loses, who is accountable, and how can different actors collectively drive change?” Addressing these questions helps make food-system transformation more inclusive, accountable, coherent, locally responsive and politically feasible.

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• 💡  Interconnections at a glance

  Governance and food systems influence each other in multiple ways. Governance shapes who makes decisions, how resources are allocated, whose voices are heard and how competing interests are managed; at the same time, food-system interventions can provide concrete opportunities to strengthen participation, accountability, institutional capacities and locally led decision-making.

  These interconnections can be seen through three complementary lenses:

  • Governance OF food systems - This looks at who holds power and authority, how decisions and resources are allocated, and how different interests are negotiated and coordinated. It draws attention to the institutions, rules and relationships that shape how food systems function and change.
  • Governance IN food systems - Here, the focus is on the quality of governance within policies, programmes, institutions and partnerships, and whether principles such as participation, non-discrimination, transparency, accountability and rule of law are embedded in their design and implementation.
  • Governance THROUGH food systems - This broadens the perspective to the wider governance outcomes that food-system interventions can generate, including stronger voice and agency, institutional capacities, accountability, social cohesion and locally led decision-making.

• ❌  5 most common mistakes

  Treating food system challenges as mainly technical problems
  Don’t: Ignore political incentives, vested interests and unequal power relations.
  Do: Consider the political economy from the outset: who benefits, who loses, and who can enable or block change.

  Working in sectoral silos
  Don’t:  Address food-system challenges through one sector or institution alone, without considering impacts and dependencies elsewhere.
  Do:  Look across sectors and levels of governance to identify synergies, trade-offs and opportunities for more coherent and coordinated action.

  Assuming that participation automatically means inclusion
  Don’t:  Equate representation with meaningful influence, or assume that all actors have an equal voice in decision-making.
  Do:  Address barriers and power imbalances and create space for marginalised and vulnerable actors to influence decisions and bring in their knowledge and priorities.

  Establishing coordination mechanisms without clarifying authority and accountability
  Don’t:  Create platforms or coordination bodies without defining their mandate, decision-making authority and responsibilities.
  Do:  Clarify who decides, who implements, who provides resources and who is accountable for results.

  Relying only on formal institutions and processes
  Don’t:  Assume that formal mandates, policies and institutional structures fully explain how decisions are made or resources allocated.
  Do:  Look also at informal rules, relationships, incentives and influence to understand how the food system actually functions and where change can realistically happen.

• ✅  Recommended fields of action

  Understand power, political economy and authority

  • Analyse interests, incentives and power relations; Identify champions, blockers and realistic entry points for change
  • Clarify mandates, decision-making authority and responsibilities
  • Address accountability gaps and corruption risks

  Strengthen inclusion, voice and capacities

  • Enable meaningful participation and influence of marginalised and vulnerable groups
  • Recognise and integrate local and Indigenous knowledge and priorities
  • Strengthen the organisational and governance capacities of food-system actors

  Build participatory, transparent and accountable food systems

  • Support inclusive multi-stakeholder processes and transparent decision-making
  • Strengthen accountability, oversight and feedback mechanisms
  • Promote meaningful rights-holder and consumer participation

  Strengthen policy coherence, coordination and dialogue

  • Foster dialogue and coordination across sectors, actors and levels of governance
  • Identify and openly address policy synergies and trade-offs
  • Align financing and incentives with food-system objectives

  Support locally led and territorial governance

  • Strengthen decentralised and locally led decision-making, with adequate authority and resources
  • Connect urban, peri-urban and rural food-system planning and investment

• 🎯 How to monitor governance

  While quantitative governance indicators can help track changes over time and identify broader trends, they cannot capture the full complexity of governance processes and dynamics. They should therefore be complemented by participatory and qualitative monitoring to understand how change happens in practice, including shifts in power relations, influence over decision-making, accountability, institutional relationships and the meaningful participation of different actors.

  Examples:

  • Governance OF food systems: clarity of institutional mandates and responsibilities; functioning of cross-sector coordination mechanisms; transparency of public budgets and decisions.
  • Governance IN food systems: diversity of actors participating in programme decisions; accessibility of information; functioning of feedback and complaints mechanisms.
  • Governance THROUGH food systems: greater influence of local actors over public priorities or budgets; strengthened capacities of local institutions; improved dialogue and/or trust between communities and authorities.

Questions?

If you have any question, or wish to call upon resources or expertise, don’t hesitate to reach out to us – or contact members through the MS Teams channel !

K-HUB > Thematic Interfaces > Food Systems and governance