Presentation short abstract

The paper addresses the political tensions that arise in participatory transdisciplinary processes for Food System Transformation. We focus on how power operates through the methods mobilized, the relations enacted between actors, and the conceptual representations that shape the framing of FST.

Presentation long abstract

Food systems frameworks are increasingly used as heuristic and analytical tools to guide food system transformation (FST) processes by supporting decision-making and fostering collaboration across diverse knowledge domains. However, limited attention has been paid to their value-laden and epistemological foundations, which condition the diagnosis, trajectories, priorities, and types of solutions these frameworks advance.

This presentation addresses this gap by critically examining the epistemic and political tensions that arise in participatory transdisciplinary processes aimed at developing and implementing food system frameworks for advancing socio-ecological transformations. We draw on ethnographic work conducted within a European process aimed at developing a food systems framework to inform FST at different levels and advancing transdisciplinary knowledge in the field.

Our analysis builds on the authors’ active involvement in 1) co-developing a food system conceptual framework and 2) the transdisciplinary and participative use of a systemic food map and a Multi Level Perspective (MLP)-based theory of change in Catalonia (Spain).

We examine how these tools structure engagement, frame transformation pathways, and stabilize particular narratives of FST, ultimately contributing to the depolitization of transformative processes.

Our analysis centers on how power operates through the methods mobilized, the relations enacted between actors, and the conceptual representations that shape the framing of FST. In doing so, we argue for greater reflexivity in recognizing and addressing the epistemic divides, positional conflicts, and underlying values embedded in these frameworks to avoid reinforcing epistemic injustices and to foster more inclusive and transformative transdisciplinary food systems research and practice.