Abstract
Recent debates on transforming the food system toward more sustainable outcomes are increasingly emphasizing the need for participatory and inclusive governance models. In this context, mechanisms such as Food Policy Groups (FPGs), which are designed to enhance the participation of different food system actors, are generally considered critical levers to achieve democratic objectives in food systems. While their transformative capacity and participatory potential have been widely emphasized, the specific mechanisms and strategies that can enable or limit their inclusive potential have remained under-explored. To fill this gap, this article examines the dynamics of inclusion that shape stakeholder participation in FPGs through an in-depth examination of one key stakeholder group: the farming community. Data collected on 25 FPGs from the US and the UK are analyzed through a focus on the interplay between three critical dimensions of stakeholder participation: (i) the “who”, (ii) the “how” and (iii) the “context” (i.e., enablers and barriers to participation). This analysis shows that a range of context-specific dynamics shape participant composition and engagement approaches, while also creating varying opportunities and constraints that influence stakeholder participation. We conclude that for stakeholder engagement strategies to be meaningfully inclusive and sustainable over time, they need to entail dynamic, adaptive and place-based approaches that respond to the needs and circumstances of different stakeholders.