In this paper we explore the development and incidence of alternative food networks within a European-wide context. By developing a consistent definition of short food supply chains, we address both the morphology and the dynamics of these, and then examine empirical evidence concerning their incidence and rural development impact across seven EU member states. These developments need to be seen as one significant contribution to the current transitions in rural Europe concerning the crisis of conventional intensive and productivist agriculture and the public consumer pressure for a larger variety of distinctive`quality' food products.

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Both in practice and policy a new model of rural development is emerging. This paper reflects the discussions in the impact research programme and suggests that at the level of associated theory also a fundamental shift is taking place. The modernization paradigm that once dominated policy, practice and theory is being replaced by a new rural development paradigm. Rural development is analyzed as a multi‐level, multi‐actor and multi‐facetted process rooted in historical traditions that represents at all levels a fundamental rupture with the modernization project. The range of new quality products, services and forms of cost reduction that together comprise rural development are understood as a response by farm families to both the eroding economic base of their enterprises and to the new needs and expectations European society has of the rural areas. Rural development therefore is largely an autonomous, self‐driven process and in its further unfolding agriculture will continue to play a key role, although it is a role that may well change. This article provides an introduction to the nine papers of this ‘special issue’ and the many reconfiguration processes embodied in rural development that they address.in rural development

A careful analysis of the scale and depth of the more recent changes in rural areas reveals the contours of a new development trajectory. The key features of this trajectory are diversity and multifunctionality: diversity reflected in the actors involved, the particular activities undertaken and the patterns of motivation that emerge, and multifunctionality in the simultaneous and interrelated provision of different functions ( Van der Ploeg et al. 2000). Researchers involved in rural development face a two-fold challenge. First, they must improve their understanding of multifunctionality and, second and more practically, they must acquire insights into the complex and interrelated processes that contribute to the development of rural areas.The aim of this article is to outline the complexity of those rural development processes that specifically relate to the phenomenon of multifunctionality. An attempt is made to structure the various patterns of multifunctionality found in the European countryside, and different levels of multifunctionality, key changes, linkages and influences have been identified. More specifically, an attempt is made to find adequate ways of unraveling and visualizing the complex interrelationships and changes involved in the rural development process. In addition, we have tried to improve our understanding of these interrelationships taking into account their spatial and temporal dimensions. Finally, we have tried to identify the data needed for a quantitative assessment of the changes taking place at the different levels of farm, farm household, other rural enterprises, region, multipliers, and substitution effects. In the discussion reference is made to several case studies from the impact research programme. 1 Using 'multifunctionality schemes' as a methodological instrument'Multifunctionality schemes' (mf-schemes) essentially 'map' the functional relationships underlying rural development processes and provide insight into the specific reconfigurations in the use of resources such as land, labour, knowledge and nature. By using these schemes we can unravel and visualize the logic, mechanisms and impacts of rural development processes. The main aim is to identify and provide

This paper offers a critical assessment of the value and utility of the evolving City Region Food Systems (CRFS) approach to improve our insights into flows of resources-food, waste, people, and knowledge-from rural to peri-urban to urban and back again, and the policies and process needed to enable sustainability. This paper reflects on (1) CRFS merits compared to other approaches; (2) the operational potential of applying the CRFS approach to existing projects through case analysis; (3) how to make the CRFS approach more robust and ways to further operationalize the approach; and (4) the potential for the CRFS approach to address complex challenges including integrated governance, territorial development, metabolic flows, and climate change. The paper begins with the rationale for CRFS as both a conceptual framework and an integrative operational approach, as it helps to build increasingly coherent transformational food systems. CRFS is differentiated from existing approaches to understand the context and gaps in theory and practice. We then explore the strength of CRFS through the conceptual building blocks of 'food systems' and 'city-regions' as appropriate, or not, to address pressing complex challenges. As both a multi-stakeholder, sustainability-building approach and process, CRFS provides a collective voice for food actors across scales and could provide coherence across jurisdictions, policies, and scales, including the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Habitat III New Urban Agenda, and the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21. CRFS responds directly to calls in the literature to provide a conceptual and practical framing for policy through wide engagement across sectors that enables the co-construction of a relevant policy frame that can be enacted through sufficiently integrated policies and programs that achieve increasingly sustainable food systems.