Urban Food Strategies: the role of Food Champions and policy entrepreneurship in Cork and Bergamo

Over the last decade, cities have increasingly become loci of experimentation for collaborative forms of food governance, aimed at tackling a variety of issues associated with the sustainability of the local food system. An interesting approach through which to explore this phenomenon is to examine the agency of key actors, so-called ‘food champions’ (Moragues-Faus and Morgan, 2015), who work to engage stakeholders and push the topic of food onto the policy agenda of municipal authorities. Our paper draws upon the policy entrepreneurship literature through which to establish theoretical concepts that underpin the comparative analysis of two case study cities: Bergamo (Northern Italy), and Cork (in the Republic of Ireland). Both are small-medium sized cities which have recently started developing their own urban food strategies. The paper draws upon research undertaken in both locations involving in-depth investigation of the agency of food champions as well as the levels of engagement and strategies implemented by various groups of actors and other stakeholders. The results show that policy entrepreneurship is often a collective phenomenon, based on the agency of actor groups, rather than on individuals. Moreover, the specific socio-cultural context strongly influences the framing of the food narratives of the two cities. Indeed, food can represent an important device through which to achieve a degree of innovation and reinvention of the urban landscape and to promote the safeguarding of cultural traditions as well as local biodiversity. Indeed, highlighting the significance of local circumstances and resources allows food champions to (re-)define problems and create visions that best fit interests and perspectives of stakeholders, as well as to reinforce trust and reputation, necessary for cooperation and collective action. The paper concludes with some recommendations based on the insights and lesson learned from the two contexts, with the intention that it will inspire other cities to build their own path towards becoming more resourceful and sustainable communities.