ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Gender mainstreaming in urban food policies: governance approaches and processes from three Spanish cities

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 16 | FOOD

Speaker

Ms Chiara Bergonzini (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)

Description

This paper explores the integration of gender mainstreaming in urban food policies (UFPs) through
case studies of three Spanish cities: Barcelona, Valencia, and Zaragoza. While UFPs are pivotal for
addressing sustainability in urban food systems, attention to gender disparities within these
frameworks remains insufficient. Using a qualitative comparative analysis of policy documents and
interviews with policymakers, this study examines how these cities approached gender integration,
the processes that enabled it, and the outcomes achieved. The findings reveal three diverse
approaches varying in terms of bottom-up or top-down processes, types of actors involved and the
comprehensiveness of gender integration in the resulting UFP documents. Challenges identified
include limited local jurisdiction, insufficient administrative capacities, and the risk for gender
mainstreaming to remain a façade. This research contributes to urban food governance literature by
analyzing three examples of gender integration in UFPs, a topic that is scarcely addressed empirically
and theoretically. It also contributes to gender mainstreaming literature by highlighting the
importance of tailored policy tools and administrative training.

References

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