Sobirania Alimentària Menorca

Promoters:

Consell Insular de Menorca island government (CIMe) and Menorca Biosphere Reserve (Menorca Reserva de Biósfera).

Country:

Spain

A model of production and consumption that contributes to family-based, local, seasonal and sustainable agriculture, generating a stable system for all involved actors in the food chain to participate and advance towards food sovereignty.

What solution does the innovation propose?

Cross-sectoral collaboration to include the strategies’ objectives and actions as a transversal axis into the sustainability policies of other sectors on the island, such as land planning or agriculture.

The strategy is based on the principles of the Milan Food Policy Pact and promotes the responsible production and consumption of local food, while fostering shorter distribution and market circuits. The aim was to have a direct effect on the local agriculture, culture and economy, reinforcing the conservation of natural and agricultural diversity, hence preserving typical landscapes that are part of the cultural identity and heritage. Additionally, to reduce food waste and promote the health of citizens and the environment.

All people should have access to healthy and sustainable food, and available information about the island’s food flows, current seasonal products, and the importance of local consumption.

Key for success, was the joint work and close collaboration between the local public administration, which provided guidelines and support, and an external NGO with wide practical implementation experience and no administrative boundaries.

Impact evidence

Outputs

Dissemination of a sustainable food strategy.
Menorca Food waste guide.
Guidelines to prevent and reduce food waste.
Study of island food flows.
Integration of the food strategy with the Menorca Reserve Biosphere Action Plan.

Sources

Data collected from Menorca Biosphere reserve web page.

How does it work?

Before setting the strategy and its policies, interviews and workshops were carried out with diverse stakeholders to complete the diagnosis and prepare the field for implementation. The forged new alliances between public offices and their trained technical staff were crucial for the execution of the following lines of action:

Promotion of healthy and sustainable food: sensitize citizens and provide guidelines. Ban ultra-processed products and brands in any public related event or platform. Endorse seasonal products.
Ensure economic and social equity: work on a better management of food banks. Enable school kitchens during vacations. Promote the social and solidarity economy in the food sector. Create food guidelines for citizens.
Promote local food production: provide technical assistance, training, and updated knowledge to the local agricultural and fishing sector. Analyze the potential of food trade flows in an island with high external food dependency.
Enhance the supply and distribution of local food: strengthen local stakeholders’ capacities and promote their dialogue and interaction. Favor centralized purchase initiatives.
Limit food waste: create proposals to quatify, reduce and reuse profitable or organic waste.
Responsible and local public food procurement: work on criteria and terms to promote local procurement. Change products in public kitchen establishments.

Citizens, social organizations, producers and the HORECA sectors are some of the actors playing a role in the successful implementation of the food policies next to local and public administration (specially the agricultural, fishing, and tourism sectors), and the social council of the biosphere reserve who is leading the initiative and actions.