Transition towards a sustainable food system? An analysis of sustainable food initiatives in the rural district of Augsburg

Sammanfattning

In today's globalised economy, food system actors seek to introduce more sustainable structures in terms of alternative food systems, including short food supply chains, local food systems and organic food production, to reduce environmental impact and achieve social benefits. Using the Multi-Level Perspective to analyse expert interviews and the results of a citizen survey, this thesis explores the current status, barriers and opportunities for initiatives trying to improve the distribution of sustainable food in the rural district of Augsburg (official German name: Landkreis Augsburg). It is found that the main barriers against efficient distribution relate to logistics/infrastructure, regulations and customer preferences. These can be addressed at all levels of the Multi-Level Perspective by different actors in the food system. The dynamics of transition processes are difficult to predict, but it seems that the movement towards a transition to a more sustainable food system in the rural district of Augsburg has been accelerated by the recent disruptive shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.