Working Paper: Food Systems Governance and the Public Sector

GAIN Working Paper n°47

JANUARY 2025

Ann Trevenen-Jones, Rachel Nel, Edrieno Sutarjadi and Ratih Purwindah Hafsari

The public sector plays a key role in transforming food systems through leadership and policies and enabling a whole-of-society approach. Governance models vary by country, and understanding them is crucial for addressing challenges, leveraging opportunities, and fostering collaboration across stakeholders. Local governments are vital for implementing solutions and sharing best practices, while global forums provide opportunities to enhance knowledge and shape food systems perspectives.

Inclusion and equity are essential for a just transformation, promoting diverse perspectives and empowering marginalized groups like low-income households, women, youth, and indigenous communities. Good governance principles and guidelines support collaboration, while further exploration is needed into urban-rural governance relationships and food systems’ connections to climate and economies.

This overview provides key insights including:

• Understanding the public governance models of different countries is vital for addressing challenges and trade-offs, and leveraging opportunities in food systems.

• How Local and city governments and communities are key to locally led, contextual food systems transformation.

• Discusses effective engagement with a diversity of local, sub-national, national, regional, and global stakeholders, including vulnerable and marginalised communities, nurtures sustained and just food systems transformation.

• How City-to-city networks and regional and global food systems-related fora are resources and spaces within which governments can share evidence, views, best practices, tools, and lessons learned.