“It feels like this is good for many people” The multiple rationales of municipal owned food production

Abstract: There have been moves towards greater localization in our approaches to the economy and services we consume, especially within the sphere of food. In particular, self-sufficiency approaches have increased in interest to utilize and create a resilient local food system, as this shields an area from the uncertainty and fluctuation of global trades while securing local development. This qualitative study aims to develop an understanding of how two municipally owned food productions, promoting locally produced food, local development and self-sufficiency, can be seen and understood when balanced with national and regional strategic goals concerning food, procurement and regional development within a multi-level governance framework. A multiple combination of methods is used to triangulate understandings of the projects: interviews with municipal, regional and national governmental level was conducted as well as content analysis of strategic documents. The regional and national level could be seen to agree on the processes and several effects the municipally owned food productions entail. However, disagreements were raised concerning the economic aspects that the municipally owned food productions result in, such as costinefficiency and lost ability to use procurement to create societal change and development. It could be seen that the municipalities run these food productions because it secures food supply from a certain favorable production, while also generating several other benefits due to its production promoting local sustainable development through resilience.