URBAN AND RURAL AGRO-FOOD SYSTEMS AS A FACTOR OF LOCAL SUSTAINABLE DEYELOPMENT - SETTING PRIORITIES AND ISSUES OF GOYERNANCE

Joost PLATJE

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the importance of issues of governance in the context of local sustainable development. An aim is to identify some important challenges in research on urban and rural agro-food Systems. First, within this context, the importance of setting priorities in local sustainable development is discussed. Second, the relation between good governance and local sustainable development is elaborated.
Third, two case studies on the importance of institutions for food ąuality and the relation between ąuality enforcement mechanisms and governance structures in the food supply system are presented. Finally,
some issues of the relation between investment, economic activity and sustainable development are discussed. An important finding is that analysis of governance structures and of stakeholders’ interests of is of crucial importance for achieving local sustainable development in the agro-food system. This may lead to the identification of priorities in the process of sustainable development, while the identification of factors
in the institutional environment and governance structures that may hamper such development makes it morę likely that change will be successful.