Collaboration Towards a ‘Sustainability Transition’ : A Case study of the Agri-food sector on Gotland, Sweden

Abstract: In Sustainable development studies, it has been established that food sector has a significantimpact on the environment and accordingly is a critical area for improvement. In addition,island regions particularly undergo a need for long-term sustainable development, due toisolation and high dependency on availability of local resources. Therefore, applyingsustainability into practise and incorporating its goals into strategic and operational levels ofmanagement decision-making, could use relatively more attention to proceed in thedevelopment. This study is looking at current work by regional authorities on the Swedishisland of Gotland in implementing sustainability transitions in the agri-food sector byscrutinising the industry actors’ involvement and attitudes. The research data was collectedvia analysis of governmental document and in-depth interviews with both industry andauthorities’ representatives and further evaluated with theories of governance, leadership andsustainability transitions. Yet, sustainability is such a complex issue interlinking economic,social and environmental aspects, so it requires more attention than initially perceived. Theresult indicates collaboration towards common goals benefits from trust and congruencebetween actors.