Breaking out of the silos: integrated approaches to food systems planning. Insights from Swedish municipalities

Municipalities are recognized as important actors in transforming food systems, as they are responsible for various issues related to food. Recently, the Swedish government has emphasized the role of municipalities in strengthening food resilience. Scholars stress the crucial role of integrated governance in transforming food systems, and emphasize the need to work from a systems perspective, break out of the usual planning silos, and collaborate with multiple stakeholders. This study explores food systems planning in Swedish municipalities using an integrated planning approach. Results from a national survey with a 73% response rate, and interviews with municipal officials, indicate a need for increased collaboration, both with external actors and across departments within the municipal organization. Around half of the municipalities report collaborating on food systems issues both across departments within the municipal organization and with external stakeholders, while around one-fifth report no collaboration at all. Additionally, siloed work, a lack of resources, and a lack of clarity about who is responsible for coordinating collaboration at the regional level were identified as barriers. Altogether, this demonstrates the difficulty of breaking out of the traditional silos in practice.