Local and Regional Food Systems for Sustainable Rural Development

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of local and regional food systems has gained prominence in recent decades as a response to global challenges in agriculture, environmental sustainability, and rural economic vitality. Historically, local food systems were the primary mode of food production and distribution, but with the rise of industrial agriculture and global food markets, food systems have become increasingly centralized and globalized. However, this shift has also brought about significant challenges, including environmental degradation, rural depopulation, and social inequalities, prompting renewed interest in local and regional food systems as a potential solution.

The Special Issue titled "Local and Regional Food Systems for Sustainable Rural Development" focuses on the critical role that local and regional food systems play in fostering sustainable rural development. This Special Issue explores the connections between agriculture, food production, and rural communities, emphasizing sustainability, economic resilience, environmental health, and social well-being.

Key topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Rural development through local food systems, looking for solutions on how local and regional food networks (such as farmer markets, community-supported agriculture, and local supply chains) contribute to rural economic development, job creation, and community empowerment.
• Socioeconomic impacts of local food systems, accepting various studies on the economic benefits and social capital that strong local and regional food networks can provide to rural communities.
• Food security and sovereignty, focusing on the role of local food systems in enhancing food security and sovereignty in rural areas, as well as local production, consumption, and shorter supply chains.
• Policy and governance, including studies on how policies at local, regional, and national levels can support sustainable rural development through food systems that prioritize local farmers and communities.
• Sustainable agricultural practice, including research on innovative and sustainable farming methods that support local food systems and reduce environmental impacts.
• Sustainability metrics and indicators, focusing on the development of frameworks or tools to measure the sustainability of local food systems, including their environmental, social, and economic impacts.

The Special Issue on "Local and Regional Food Systems for Sustainable Rural Development" will be aligned with Agriculture’s mission to explore contemporary challenges in the field of agricultural development, particularly as they relate to sustainable practices and rural livelihoods.

Dr. Camelia F. Oroian
Prof. Dr. Horațiu Felix Arion
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• local food systems
• regional food networks
• sustainable agriculture
• rural development
• food sovereignty
• food security
• short food supply chains
• community-supported agriculture (CSA)
• resilient food systems
• circular economy in agriculture