Research outputs

Policy report

DEMETRA's policy briefs integrating findings from our completed research:

DEMETRA Policy Brief No. 1
Citizens as Partners in Food System Transformation: Scaling Deliberative Democracy for Sustainable Food Systems

Getting citizens involved in food policy decisions can help build public support for change, but only if it includes people who are usually left out, gives them real power, and actually influences government decisions. This brief sets out six key actions to make this work, from explaining food issues clearly to ordinary people, to setting up permanent citizen councils that shape policy. It draws on the conceptual, empirical and organisational research strands of the DEMETRA project (Work Packages 1, 2 and 3) and is aimed at policymakers, government staff, and people working on food and sustainability issues.

Download the brief (PDF): DEMETRA_PolicyBrief_No1_EN_v1.1.pdf [PDF 1,205KB]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22541483
Licence: CC BY 4.0

Suggested citation: Hofer, C. (2026). Citizens as Partners in Food System Transformation: Scaling Deliberative Democracy for Sustainable Food Systems (DEMETRA Policy Brief No. 1). DEMETRA project, Horizon Europe grant agreement No. 101132286. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22541483

 

DEMETRA Policy Brief No. 2
Beyond Pilots: Building Durable Governance Frameworks for Urban Food Systems

Good food projects are starting in cities across Europe, but they often fall apart because no one person or agency is clearly in charge, funding runs out, and progress stops when politicians change. This brief explains why these initiatives struggle and offers five practical steps to fix this, including recognising local experts as key advisers, setting up permanent food councils, and providing stable funding for years, not just months. It draws on the governance research of DEMETRA Work Package 4 across the seven project cities and is aimed at city policymakers, food administrators, and community workers who want to turn temporary projects into lasting institutions.

Download the brief (PDF): DEMETRA_PolicyBrief_No2_EN_v1.1.pdf [PDF 1,169KB]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22541657
Licence: CC BY 4.0

Suggested citation: Hofer, C. (2026). Beyond Pilots: Building Durable Governance Frameworks for Urban Food Systems (DEMETRA Policy Brief No. 2). DEMETRA project, Horizon Europe grant agreement No. 101132286. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22541657 

 

WP1

DEMETRA's WP1 report (deliverable D1.1 - Guidelines for the empirical analyses): D1.1 [PDF 1,559KB]

WP2

Deliverable D2.1 - Guidelines for analysis of existing surveys: D2.1 [PDF 827KB]

Deliverable D2.2 - List of survey items: D2.2 [XLS 437KB]

DEMETRA's WP2 report (deliverable D2.3 - Report of existing studies and data): D2.3 [PDF 1,210KB]

WP3

Deliverable D3.1 - Questionnaire for the online survey: D3.1 [PDF 1,646KB]

DEMETRA's WP3 report (deliverable D3.2 - Integrated report on organizational analysis): D3.2 [PDF 5,018KB]

WP4

Deliverable D4.1 - Questionnaire for semi-structured interviews: D4.1 [PDF 681KB]

DEMETRA's WP4 report (deliverable D4.2 - Integrated report on food-related DPPs in political processes): D4.2 [PDF 4,800KB]