Railway tracks for more democratic food systems: insights from three Living Labs

The current agro-industrial food system faces environmental, social and economic challenges that require its transformation. Living Labs (LL) are emerging as an innovative approach to address these complex issues by providing a participatory and real-world approach for testing and developing solutions. This article explores the potential of LLs to contribute to the transformation towards a more democratic food system through the lens of Bruno Latour’s metaphor of railway tracks. Using three case studies from Poland, Italy and Germany, we analyse the conditions necessary for LL-driven change, focusing on networks, resources, values and political orders. The cases illustrate how LLs can serve as tools for fostering transformations, strengthening local food networks and supporting alternative food economies, in line with the principles of food democracy. Our LL approach is a co-productive process without being extractivist but fostering dialogue and participation. We collaborated with existing food initiatives to assist them in their operations. Our results emphasise that significant challenges remain in increasing participation in these initiatives beyond their niche settings. Barriers, such as limited resources, regulatory frameworks and policy priorities, limit the broader systemic impact. Our findings suggest that while LLs hold potential for contributing to systemic change, realising sustainable transformation depends on building social and institutional pathways (railway tracks) that reach beyond the confines of experimental settings. The study emphasises the importance of inclusive decision-making, value-driven collaboration and resource-sharing as fundamental elements for fostering the development of resilient, democratic food systems.