In This Issue: Reflexive and Inclusive: Reimagining Local Government Engagement in Food Systems

Abstract

First paragraphs: Introduction It is time to shift the trajectory of how local gov­ernments engage in communities’ food systems. Local and regional government (LRG) involvement in food systems is essential and welcome, of course. However, recent experiences, as well as what is on the horizon, suggest that practitioners and scholars must reimagine the roles local govern­ments play and how they play them. Failure to reflect and correct course on public policy measures to strengthen community food systems will be judged as short-sighted by historians, much the same way that urban renewal policies are critiqued today. Thus it is critical to ask: How are LRGs engag­ing in the food system, and how are they reflecting on this engagement? How is this engagement advancing or impeding the planning, policy, and creation of inclusive, equitable, and just food sys­tems? How is this progress being monitored and measured? And, more importantly, how should local governments be changing the nature of their engagement to ensure equitable and just outcomes? These are the key questions tackled in this special issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD).... See the press release for this article.