The region in food--important or irrelevant?

There has been an explosion of interest in ‘re-localized’ and ‘re-connected’ modes of food provision, which could provide solutions to the socio-economic and environmental problems associated with food production and consumption. Within this context, this paper aims to critically review the significance of the ‘region’ for debates about future food systems. It identifies three cross-cutting impulses towards the (re)-regionalization of food: re-scaling, re-spacing and re-connection, but stresses that the ways these are played out is contingent on the interplay of diverse social, political and bio-physical processes. The paper concludes by proposing several further research agendas to develop a more rigorous understanding of the potential for regional food networks to address growing demands for the sustainable and fair provision of food.