Sustainable Food Networks (SFNs) are emerging as pivotal value chains for agroecological and food transitions in both urban and rural territories. These networks aim to create a healthy, fair, localized, and inclusive food supply model, standing in contrast to the dominant corporate food system characterized by long-haul, complex, and fragile supply chains. Despite their potential, SFNs such as community-supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, and urban agriculture have not been thoroughly examined through the lens of economic geography and related interdisciplinary perspectives. The current globalized food system is fraught with economic, social, and environmental issues, including the marginalization of family farming, environmental degradation, and the loss of local knowledge and biodiversity. SFNs offer a critical alternative by emphasizing small-batch production, environmental sustainability, and social equity, yet there remains a significant gap in understanding their full impact and potential.

This research topic aims to collate comprehensive research on Sustainable Food Networks (SFNs) with specific objectives: identifying various SFN initiatives across different territories, evaluating their spatial dimensions in global contexts, and assessing policies that can enhance the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of food value chains. Key questions include how alternative values are propagated within SFNs, the critical spatial nodes for these values, the role of urban and peri-urban agriculture, and the interplay between territorial conditions and SFN performance. Additionally, the research seeks to understand how SFNs compete with hegemonic value chains and the potential role of public policy in strengthening these networks.

To gather further insights into the complexities and potentials of SFNs, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• The propagation and transfer of alternative values within SFNs
• Identification of critical spatial nodes for the reproduction of these values
• Roles of urban and peri-urban agriculture in SFNs
• Relationships between territorial conditions, governance, and SFN performance
• Strategies employed by SFNs to tackle competition from corporate value chains
• The impact of SFNs on the surge of local, organic, and healthy food outlets
• The role of public policy in supporting and strengthening SFNs

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Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

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