Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2017/2 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Sustainability in the Regional Food Supply Chain of Lahti Johanna Snell DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2017/2 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Sustainability in the Regional Food Supply Chain of Lahti Johanna Snell Supervisor: Alexandre Dubois Evaluator: Yvonne Gunnarsdotter Copyright © Johanna Snell and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2017 Content 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. The Case of the City of Lahti ............................................................................................................ 2 1.2. Research aims and objectives ............................................................................................................ 2 2. Background .............................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Challenges in the food production and consumption system ............................................................ 4 2.2. Policies and strategies over food systems .......................................................................................... 5 2.3. Sustainability assessment of agri-food production in the Lahti Region, REISKA-project ............... 6 2.4. The City of Lahti ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.4.1. The strategy of the City and the environmental policy .............................................................. 8 2.5. FISU network .................................................................................................................................. 10 2.6. Previous studies ............................................................................................................................... 11 2.7. Agriculture in Finland ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.8. Actors of the regional food supply chain ......................................................................................... 13 2.8.1. Producers ................................................................................................................................. 14 2.8.2. Food industry ........................................................................................................................... 14 2.8.3. Retail ........................................................................................................................................ 15 2.8.4. Food service ............................................................................................................................. 15 2.8.5. Consumers ............................................................................................................................... 16 3. Concepts and Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................ 17 3.1. Sustainable development ................................................................................................................. 17 3.1.1. Food sustainability ................................................................................................................... 17 3.2. Local food ........................................................................................................................................ 18 3.3. Alternative food networks ............................................................................................................... 18 3.4. Theoretical framework .................................................................................................................... 19 3.4.1. Outcome of activities ............................................................................................................... 22 3.4.2. Object ...................................................................................................................................... 22 3.4.3. Tools ........................................................................................................................................ 22 3.4.4. Subject ..................................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.5. Community .............................................................................................................................. 23 3.4.6. Rules ........................................................................................................................................ 24 3.4.7. Division of power .................................................................................................................... 24 4. Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 25 4.1. Empirical data .................................................................................................................................. 25 4.1.1. Workshop ................................................................................................................................ 25 4.1.2. Interviews ................................................................................................................................ 26 4.2. Ethics ............................................................................................................................................... 26 II 4.3. Quality of the study ......................................................................................................................... 26 5. Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 28 5.1. Workshop ........................................................................................................................................ 28 5.1.1. Futures wheel ........................................................................................................................... 28 5.1.2. Futures table ............................................................................................................................ 30 5.1.3. Futures stories .......................................................................................................................... 31 5.1.4. Summary of the workshop ....................................................................................................... 31 5.2. Interviews ........................................................................................................................................ 32 5.2.1. Current food chain and suggested food chain .......................................................................... 33 6. Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 37 6.1. Outcome of activities ....................................................................................................................... 37 6.2. Object .............................................................................................................................................. 38 6.3. Tools ................................................................................................................................................ 39 6.4. Subject ............................................................................................................................................. 41 6.5. Community ...................................................................................................................................... 42 6.6. Rules ................................................................................................................................................ 43 6.7. Division of power ............................................................................................................................ 44 7. Concluding remarks: towards a regional food supply chain in Lahti .............................................. 45 8. Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................................. 47 9. References .............................................................................................................................................. 48 III Sustainability in the Regional Food Supply Chain of Lahti JOHANNA SNELL Snell, J., 2017: Sustainability in the Regional Food Supply Chain of Lahti. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 2017/2, 54 pp, 30 ECTS/hp Abstract: Unsustainable food production and consumption patterns are threatening our living environment and our lives on earth. There is a need for profound transition in our ways to produce and consume food. Food, its production and consumption is a hot topic currently – as can be seen in media and in several projects run by various institutions. Circular economy and sustainable resource management address different