The role of land as the central piece to sustainable food systems: Lessons learned from Portugal national food-related policies

Abstract

This paper discusses to what extent land is considered in food-related policies from a systemic perspective. Based on existing literature and international agendas priorities, we argue that access to and preservation of land for food along the food chain play a major role in sustainable food systems. To further explore this argument, we address the following question: Where does land stand in sectorial and national food-related policies? The multiple dimensions and implications of food systems and the international agenda’s priorities namely the “Right to adequate Food”, “Food Sovereignty” and the “Right to Land”, were used as our conceptual framework. To work out how land is being considered in food sectorial policies, both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to examine ten Portuguese national food-related policies. Results are showing a lack of consideration for land access and land preservation, needed all along the food chain to build a national sustainable food system. On the other hand, there is a gap between current grassroots priorities international agendas and food-related national policies. Such a situation strongly suggests that building a sustainable food system needs a clear food territorial perspective, still neglected, and shifting from sectorial policies towards a more integrated food system approach, that will include land as a central piece.