Collaboration for local food systems: The role of government in supporting and fostering conditions for successful local food system collaboration in Dublin, Ireland

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly evident that conventional food systems driven by industrial agriculture for global supply chains are inherently unsustainable. Local food systems (LFS) have been identified as a promising and more sustainable alternative, in which food is produced, processed and retailed within a specific geographical boundary. Literature illustrates that LFSs are dependent on collaboration between relevant actors as a means of sharing knowledge, resources and collectively building resilient trust-based pathways outside of the conventional food system. Examples from literature also highlight how governmental support can enhance and improve LFSs. However, there is a lack of understanding of what makes collaborations successful in the context of LFS, and how the role of government influences such collaboration. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by conducting a case study analysis in the LFS of Dublin, Ireland. A novel theoretical framework was derived from literature to elucidate success conditions for collaboration in LFSs and how such conditions may be influenced by government. This framework argued that successful collaboration is indicated by the presence of collaborative processes, which are influenced by exogenous conditions and the role of government. This study tested this theoretical framework through a case study analysis in Dublin’s LFS by first identifying relevant actors and how they collaborate. Interviews were then conducted and assessed using qualitative interpretative analysis techniques to understand the relationships between the central concepts. The results indicated that collaboration is unsuccessful in Dublin’s LFS, and this is heavily influenced by governmental (in)action. Although actors are willing to collaborate, they feel unsupported in this niche sector and are thus incapable of collaborating effectively due to resource and capacity constraints. Findings show that the success conditions for collaboration are applicable in understanding LFS collaborative dynamics and how they are shaped by government. Further research is needed to test these relationships by evaluating each condition in-depth, over time or in varying LFS contexts.