Food-soft power and collaborative food governance to tackle urban socio- economic fragilities: The case of the Milan’s Neighborhood Hubs Against Food Waste

In the past few decades, there has been an increasing emphasis on the urban dimension of the food system as the optimal scale for experimenting innovative approaches aimed at strengthening urban sustainability and progressing towards more just and healthier cities (Sonnino, 2023). Among the various issues investigated in the field of food research, some scholars have focused their work on the governance arrangements steering surplus food management as a strategy combining the reduction of food waste with the limitation of food poverty, even in high-income countries (Bartezzaghi et al., 2023; Moragues-Faus et al., 2017). However, despite growing interest in these subjects, studies that have investigated how food-soft power influence the creation of collaborative governance arrangements in FR&R initiatives are still few in scientific literature. To address this knowledge gap, this research starts from the assumption that surplus food can be considered a source of soft power exerted by public actors as a medium to provide adequate services and rights to urban dwellers (Reynolds, 2012). In this view, it investigates how food-soft power can be used as a critical tool to foster the establishment of collaborative urban food governance addressing these challenges. In this vein, the Milan Neighborhood Hub Against Food Waste (NHAFW) project was selected as a case study to examine how changing discourses around surplus food, mainly led by the municipality, have facilitated the collaboration among a wide-range of local actors involved, with different roles, in FR&R activities. The research employs a qualitative approach to data collection, utilizing various methods including desk research, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and project meetings attendance. Findings show that the public exertion of food-soft power has been effective in changing surplus food actors behavior, transforming their relationships from competitive to cooperative, and in creating collaborative processes, visions, and delivery mechanisms. The NHAFW project has successfully reduced food waste and the ecological impacts associated with its disposal and, through a network of local organizations and volunteers, it strengthened social bonds and fostered socio-economic inclusion. However, progress is needed to better integrate these practices into local welfare programs and policies. This integration seems crucial to improve socio-environmental justice and fulfilling citizens' fundamental rights.