FOODGaP – Food Governance and Policies at Local Level

The FOODGaP Project

The FOODGaP (Food Governance and Policies at Local Level) project is a strategic transnational cooperation initiative co-funded by the European Commission’s Interreg NEXT MED Programme. The project was set up to address the gaps in administrative and political governance that hinder equitable, safe and sustainable access to food in the Mediterranean region.

The project identifies cities and metropolitan areas as the key actors in driving the ecological and social transition of food systems. FOODGaP supports local authorities in complex territorial contexts characterised by significant institutional asymmetries – including the Metropolitan City of Rome, Mersin (Turkey), Houmt Souk (Tunisia) and Tyre (Lebanon) – in strengthening their role in shaping public policy, by promoting structured dialogue between institutions, civil society, businesses and the research community.

The role of EStà

Within FOODGaP, EStà acts as a centre of scientific and technical expertise and an external strategic facilitator, supporting activities under the scientific leadership of the lead partner, CIHEAM Bari, and the territorial coordination of the Metropolitan City of Rome.

This commitment builds on EStà’s decade-long experience in the field of local food policies and ties in with our national projects, such as the National Observatory on Local Food Policies and the OnFood Atlas. By providing established action-research methodologies, EStà acts as a facilitator to translate the project’s theoretical guidelines into effective and inclusive governance practices.

Our areas of intervention

EStà’s methodological contribution is divided into three strategic macro-activities:

• Scientific design of capacity-building initiatives
  We collaborate on the design and delivery of training programmes and transnational webinar series (Peer learning on urban & metropolitan food policies) aimed at public officials and decision-makers from the five partner countries, with the aim of integrating the analysis of urban food data with climate transition trends.
  
• Facilitation of Local Living Labs
  We make our action-research methodologies available for the testing of participatory models within the project. Whilst local implementation in the cities on the southern and eastern shores (Mersin, Houmt Souk, Tyre) is coordinated by the lead partner CIHEAM Bari, EStà’s direct territorial support focuses on the Metropolitan City of Rome. Here, we facilitate dialogue with local stakeholders (such as the Metropolitan Food Council and the Poverty Observatory), introducing innovative economic tools – including Doughnut Economics – into metropolitan strategic planning.
  
• Strategic Design of the Mediterranean Exchange Platform
  Through the work of Francesca La Rocca, EStà is developing the methodological framework for the future exchange platform, aimed at expanding the network to new cities across the Mediterranean. The approach developed aims to overcome the traditional linguistic and communicative barriers to cross-border cooperation through visual facilitation modules and the integration of accessible interaction formats.

The partners

Il partenariato internazionale di FOODGaP è guidato dall’ente capofila CIHEAM Bari e unisce istituzioni scientifiche e amministrazioni locali della sponda Nord e Sud del Mediterraneo. Il consorzio comprende la Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, l’organizzazione internazionale greca EPLO (European Public Law Organization) e le municipalità di Mersin (Turchia), Djerba Houmt Souk (Tunisia) e Tiro (Libano), attivamente impegnate nella co-progettazione di soluzioni per la sostenibilità, la resilienza e la governance dei sistemi alimentari locali.

The FOODGaP international partnership is led by the lead organisation, CIHEAM Bari, and brings together scientific institutions and local authorities from the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. The consortium comprises the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, the Greek international organisation EPLO (European Public Law Organisation) and the municipalities of Mersin (Turkey), Djerba Houmt Souk (Tunisia) and Tyre (Lebanon), which are actively engaged in co-designing solutions for the sustainability, resilience and governance of local food systems.