“Food is a subject that touches everyone, but no one is responsible for it in the administration, at least not here. So, as a representative of the city of Cagliari, I’m steering the governance and the financing to give me the tools to develop food policies,” says Isabella Ligia, Head of Strategic Planning and Strategic Environmental Assessment at the Metropolitan City of Cagliari. “Food issues are not sectorial; on the contrary, they are interconnected. For example, food waste is linked to social cohesion and the work of charities; it touches upon food quality, food security, and food skills.”
There’s always space for one more at the table
In line with the idea of a food system from ‘Farm to Fork’ – integrating all aspects of the supply chain, from production to consumption – Cagliari is developing its Strategic Plan on Food Policies by engaging with relevant stakeholders and combining existing initiatives like a puzzle. “At the metropolitan level, we use a platform based on the Decidim system to collect public consultation, so we decided to use this, in addition to co-design workshops, to input into the food plan,” explains Ligia.
This approach already proved successful when the Metropolitan City developed its broader Urban Strategy. “In 2021, we approved our Strategic Plan after two years of public consultations and conversation tables organised with Living Labs,” explains Ligia. Through this process, Cagliari reached around 3,500 stakeholders, including businesses, the 17 municipalities that constitute the metropolitan area, other organisations and residents. “Our strategy is a container of many projects that emerged during the participatory phase. It’s like a series of mosaic pieces that can come together into different systemic actions,” adds Ligia.
Food issues are not sectorial; on the contrary, they are interconnected.
Work in progress
The strategy already includes some actions on food, for example, to improve performances in the supply chain, production, and distribution channels. “One of the projects that emerged was the idea of creating a local label, which we saw when we visited Grenoble last year,” says Ligia. “We are also organising projects in low-income neighbourhoods promoting jobs in the food sector, and we have promoted the creation of a physical space, the Saint Elia’s Lazaret, where we organise festivals and contests with Slow Food Sardinia.”
The Metropolitan City also wants to develop skills and knowledge for farmers, promote educational activities in public canteens, encourage urban gardens and agricultural districts, as well as the requalification of public markets as multifunctional and promotional places. It wants to work on its logistic network to develop an integrated model of distribution that is sustainable for both cold and hot food.
“We want to develop a project to map, manage and control food production and distribution, to introduce waste management and reuse policies to create a circular economy,” says Ligia. Many ideas are brewing, so developing a framework for them will help the Metropolitan City canalise them.”
Putting together the right cookbook
“There are many emerging dynamics here, so we wanted to catalyse them by writing a sectorial Food Strategic Plan with the same methodology we used for our Strategic Plan,” explains Ligia. The plan is in the making, and it’s clear that Cagliari’s Smart Food Strategic Plan emphasises the need for collaboration between agricultural and related sectors, such as catering, tourism, renewable energy, healthcare, and nutrition.
There are many emerging dynamics here, so we wanted to catalyse them by writing a sectorial Food Strategic Plan
It will include quality control measures, and establishing a metropolitan brand that will ensure the integrity of products. At the same time, eco-friendly distribution logistics and waste management initiatives will aim to combat food waste. Training and support for agricultural operators are considered crucial for improving productivity and fostering a cultural shift toward sustainable practices. Civic markets will play a pivotal role as multifunctional hubs, offering raw materials and local products and hosting promotional events.
“We want to put together initiatives to change behaviours and raise awareness on local production. We want to encourage a direct connection between producers and distributors. We also want to find an iconic place where the market can become a hub like Vantaa did with their Food Lab,” says Ligia.
Going international
The Metropolitan City also sees its Food Strategic Plan as a first step towards its ambition of becoming a leader in food issues abroad. “We are pushing to include in the Regional and National Operation Plans projects and business aids that align with food policies,” says Ligia. “Ideally, we would like to test actions locally that can then be translated at a larger scale or inspire European policies.”
Ideally, we would like to test actions locally that can then be translated at a larger scale or inspire European policies.
To do so, Cagliari is glad to be part of a network like Eurocities, where they can exchange with other cities and see what works in different contexts. And while the Strategic Plan is still a work in progress, the Metropolitan City can already boast some successes.
Using funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to finance a project called ‘Anello Sostenibile’, Cagliari rehabilitated its primary market, San Benedetto. Inspired by Barcelona’s example, the new space will become a food hub with vendors, restaurants, workshops and other food-related activities.
“We also have a Metropolitan Innovation Lab agency, LabMet, recently developed and financed in partnership with the Innovation Centre at the University of Cagliari, UNICA CREA, which works with businesses and start-ups,” says Ligia. “And we are working on creating an incubator on food policies.”
LabMet is a physical and digital tool for promoting stakeholder dialogue and collaboration. The agency strives to engage locals in shaping the future of their city and ensures that their voices are heard and considered in the decision-making processes.
LabMet also explores best practices and successful experiences of urban laboratories already operating across Italy, Europe, and the world. So while there’s still much work to do, the Metropolitan City of Cagliari has taken its first steps towards establishing broad networks for learning and collaboration and setting an example for others in food system transformation.
