Santiago de Compostela moves to enhance its food system through rights-based local food governance

Santiago de Compostela, Spain – Santiago de Compostela brought together local authorities, researchers, producers, retailers, consumers and international experts to reflect on how to transition to a more locally sourced, resilient and agroecology-based food system that upholds everyone’s right to adequate food.

The day began with a visit to the city’s central market “the Praza de Abastos”, followed by high-level exchanges focused on improving governance of the local food system and laying the foundations for a comprehensive food strategy anchored in the right to food for Santiago de Compostela.

After visiting the city’s market, the dialogue organized by the City Council, with support from CISPAC, the Right to Food Observatory in Spain (ODA-E), Slow food Compostela, and the universities of Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña, marked the presentation of a report on the market’s role as the center of the local and agroecological sourced food system.

More than just a place of commerce, the “Praza de Abastos” was described as a social and economic anchor for the community. “We must turn our food purchases into a political act because, through our individual actions, we can influence the global landscape,” said Mayor Goretti Sanmartín. She described the marketplace as “an element that guarantees access to healthy food for all citizens, a fundamental right that we must defend and promote.”

The new “Report on the role of the ‘Praza de Abastos’ of Santiago de Compostela as local food center” highlights key challenges including limited support for small-scale producers, weak governance mechanisms and unequal access to healthy and culturally appropriate food.

The event generated a strong commitment from local institutions and stakeholders to develop a food strategy focused on agroecology, short supply chains, and participatory governance, embedded in the right to food as a fundamental human right.

“The right to food in cities is not just about access to food, but about access to fair, dignified, and sustainable food,” said Juan Echanove, Lead of the FAO Right to Food Team. “Local markets, equity in access, and respect for both producers and consumers are the foundation of a city that feeds its people without leaving anyone behind.”

FAO supported the initiative with technical input, connecting local debates to global discussions on urban food systems. Echanove also introduced a rights-based lens to the discussion, calling for cities to design food policies that reflect local realities and community priorities while giving everyone a real chance to take part in decisions that affect their right to food.

The next step will be the participatory development of a local food strategy. Echanove reaffirmed FAO’s support to municipalities in “integrating the right to food into urban food system planning and policy frameworks.”

The event is part of a series of dialogues led by the FAO Right to Food Team on urban and peri-urban food systems, contributing to the ongoing work of the Committee on World Food Security and its High-Level Panel of Experts. The first event of the series, which will focus on the right to food in Rome, is set to take place in mid-April.