School foodscapes mapping: a foundational economy framework for regional public food transformation

Food is increasingly recognised as central to the foundational economy, yet relatively little research has examined how foundational economy principles can guide regional food system transformation. This article addresses this gap by analysing school food as a strategic node within regional public provisioning. Drawing on primary and secondary data from Cornwall, UK, we examine how school meals connect public health, education, procurement, local production, agroecology and social justice. Cornwall provides a revealing case because rising Free School Meal eligibility, fragmented and outsourced school catering, and high levels of deprivation coexist with a strong agricultural heritage and a growing agroecological food movement. Using surveys, participatory workshops, informal interviews and spatial mapping of schools and agroecological producers, we identify both the barriers to regional procurement and the unrealised potential for school-farm partnerships. We develop a school foodscape mapping and transformation framework that combines dynamic mapping, partnership hubs, dynamic procurement, progressive municipalism and adaptive governance. The article contributes to foundational economy scholarship by demonstrating how school food can serve as a practical pathway to re-embedding food systems within regional economies, ecologies and communities.