ABSTRACT
In the past decades, both agroecology and alternative, urban food systems have been the subject of scientific attention. Simultaneously, the adoption of agroecology by major institutions (such as the FAO) has opened new discussions on how policies can promote sustainable, localized food systems, sparking an interest in what we call “political agroecology.” In this chapter, we aim to discuss some study cases where policy was used to promote agroecology in urban and metropolitan contexts. Our case studies highlight this process in Spain and the importance of cooperation between local authorities, food movements and farmers. We develop a theoretical dialogue around the concepts of ‘agroecological transition’ and ‘localized food systems’ and develop an empirical definition of what we call “Agroecology-Oriented Local Food Systems,” a framework for understanding urban food systems as agroecosystems. We specifically discuss the central importance of urban food policy co-production for scaling agroecology and the need for a diverse and fluid social ecosystem to promote change in urban agroecological contexts.
