For every CRFS project it is necessary to determine an entry point and to secure political buy-in.

An entry point is the issue or policy area that is used to secure initial political buy-in to the project.

Political buy-in is the formal agreement of elected officials to support the project (whether through resources or through in-kind actions), to participate in multistakeholder activities, and to give due and proper consideration to recommendations.

By building on concrete entry points and policy interests, governmental and institutional stakeholders will be motivated to engage in the process from the start, helping to secure political buy-in and ownership, and ultimately mainstreaming food systems considerations into policies, programmes and action plans. 

The following resources will help determine entry points and secure political buy-in: 

Guidance: Identifying entry points and securing political buy-in

A detailed explanation of various ways in which the project team might identify entry points for the CRFS project, either at the outset or later in the process, and some ways of securing political buy-in to the project. 

Examples: Cities’ entry points and how they were determined

Three examples of how entry points were identified and political buy-in was secured in three pilot city regions: Antananarivo (Madagascar), Colombo (Sri Lanka), and Kigali (Rwanda).