IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i19p8338-d1485533.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Planning for Sustainable Agri-Food Production: Factual or Fictional? An Example from Iceland

Author

Listed:
  • Salvör Jónsdóttir

    (Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland)

  • Karl Benediktsson

    (Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland)

Abstract

The concept of sustainability has been widely recognized as a pivotal objective for future growth. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate the principles of sustainability into policies and plans, particularly in land use and agri-food production, sectors often associated with negative environmental impacts. Addressing all three pillars of sustainability—environmental, economic, and social—is essential, within the contexts of agri-food production and land use. Consequently, sustainable rural development is also critical. This study utilizes Iceland as a case to examine whether and how sustainability goals are translated from national policies to municipal plans, which represent the governance level closest to implementation. The research employs content analysis of national policies and municipal plans, utilizing grounded theory to code the content. The findings indicate that while the concept of sustainability is embedded in Icelandic policies and goals, there is a tendency to overlook the economic and social dimensions. Additionally, the study reveals a limited application of sustainability principles in rural development and agri-food production. Recognizing the “wicked” nature of sustainability, which complicates its implementation, is crucial for advancing from goal setting to effective action.

Suggested Citation

  • Salvör Jónsdóttir & Karl Benediktsson, 2024. "Planning for Sustainable Agri-Food Production: Factual or Fictional? An Example from Iceland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-22, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:19:p:8338-:d:1485533
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/19/8338/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/19/8338/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthew Wargent & Gavin Parker & Emma Street, 2020. "Public-private entanglements: consultant use by local planning authorities in England," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 192-210, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dickinson, Daniella & Shahab, Sina, 2021. "Post planning-decision process: Ensuring the delivery of high-quality developments in Cardiff," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Martin Bortz, 2023. "Advice that resonates: explaining the variability in consultants’ policy influence," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(2), pages 211-232, June.
    3. Surajit Chakravarty & Mohammed S Bin Mansoor & Bibek Kumar & Priya Seetharaman, 2023. "Challenges of consultant-led planning in India’s smart cities mission," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(5), pages 1375-1393, June.
    4. Eckl, Julian & Hanrieder, Tine, 2023. "The political economy of consulting firms in reform processes: the case of the World Health Organization," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117917, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:19:p:8338-:d:1485533. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.