Weak governance and its consequences on food systems: analysis in two Ecuadorian territories

This article analyzes the governance of three value chains in two territories of Ecuador, highlighting the critical points that lead to the underperformance of these chains and their related food systems, as well as potential leverage points for leading to a system’s change. In these value chains, disconnections (minimal communication/coordination) were observed at all levels among the different actors analyzed, representing a weak governance. The article proposes that this weak governance is a main obstacle to overcoming unfavorable results of the food system such as poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation, and suggests four criteria for successfully bringing the food chain actors together for food system transformation.