Exploring agriculture, climate change, and food planning nexus

Where does territorial planning stands?

Abstract

 In Portugal, local answers to climate change and food are basically twofold: the approval of a Climate Adaptive Strategy or Plan, which are largely being formulated by Portuguese municipalities and the voluntary signature of the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration. As both folds are not binding their impact is limited. However, a recent Portuguese framework Law on Climate [2021], aligned with the European Green Deal, imposes that all municipalities must approve a municipal climate action plan before summer 2024. Such a context opens up a window of opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from the already approved Climate Adaptive Plans and Strategies.

Therefore, we explore in this paper the following inter - connected questions: (1) to what extent Climate Adaptive Plans and Strategies include the increase of local food production; (2) Do they consider each step of the food chain or solely food production? (3) To what extent are those measures transcribed into the planning rules and regulations.

In order to do so, we analysed 14 Climate Adaptive Strategies or Plans of a selected group of cities that entered the national competition ECO XXI, based on a sustainable framework of multiple dimensions. In 2021, as much as 57 out of the 308 Portuguese municipalities entered the competition.

Results suggest that adaptive measures relate to increasing local agriculture, mapping out land availability or highlighting the need for local agroecological practices. Moreover, Climate Adaptive Strategies or Plans, measures and actions are predominantly related to agriculture production, leaving behind subsequent food chain activities. This is probably happening due to a narrow and sectorial vision of agriculture that do not consider each one of the stages of the food chain. Lastly, the inclusion of several measures and actions into planning instruments is quite promising, even if still fragile to transform existing reality.

In conclusion, there is an urgent need to expand among food stakeholders the understanding of food and agriculture as part of the food system. In addition, there is a need to increase planner’s awareness to these topics as in practice the link between food, climate and planning is still missing. Findings highlight that the potential role of planning is not being fully unleashed. Such a consideration is in line with other international studies confirming that Portugal is not an exception. Therefore, lessons we learned might turn useful for other countries.