Comer Local

What is Comer Local?

Comer Local is a program to implement sustainable food systems at the local level (SAT, by its Spanish initials). It creates inclusive participatory spaces that bring together local government, stakeholders across the food chain, experts, activists, and the wider public—with special attention to school communities—and fosters networked dialogues to share learning.

The program was carried out in the city of Alcorcón with the support and funding of the City Council and the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation.

Why Comer Local?

The recent global pandemic has accelerated the need to rethink how food is produced, distributed, and consumed. This challenge has implications for health, politics, the economy, and the environment. Although many people are aware of the issue, there are various obstacles to addressing it—such as lack of time, limited access to information, overwhelming advertising, and deeply rooted consumption habits.

In this context, Comer Local opens a process that seeks to involve citizens directly in a set of actions that help move toward healthier eating practices, support local businesses, influence the food industry, and promote consumption patterns that are in harmony with the environment.

What is the objective of Comer Local?

Comer Local is designed to operate at different levels and support the efforts of local organizations and engaged citizens working to improve food consumption patterns:

At the political level, the program aims to create a dialogue space that brings together organizations from the fields of health, consumer affairs, economics, and public administration. It also seeks to build a collaborative network among municipalities that can grow and strengthen over time. Through these and other actions, Comer Local promotes changes in municipal public policies related to food production, distribution, and consumption.

At the social level, the program initiates participatory processes to encourage citizens to become actively involved. This helps stimulate both individual and collective shifts in consumption habits and supports the transition of local production and commerce toward more sustainable models. These actions also provide local authorities with support for developing and implementing public policies on food.

At the child and youth level, the program strives to include school communities in public debate and guide the participation of young people in designing an awareness campaign. This contributes to empowering them as agents of change promoting sustainable local food practices.

Project Overview

What is a Territorialized Food System (TFS)?

A Territorialized Food System (TFS) can be understood as the alignment of different areas of food production and supply based on the principles of sustainable local development.

A TFS emphasizes three key aspects that contrast with globalized agro-food chains:

Reorientation of food demand, fostering the consumption of local products and enabling citizens to participate as active agents in shaping their food environment.
The ecosystem, promoting harmony between agricultural, livestock, and forestry activities through agroecological principles.
Proximity, which encourages closer relationships between agriculture and local food processing and distribution systems.

What does the project involve?

The actions of Comer Local are organized into four phases:

Planning, initial stakeholder mapping, and training
A territorial work plan is designed with the City Council. Interviews and workshops are held with key social actors to identify stakeholders interested in shaping a shared dialogue space on the local food system. A combined in-person and digital training program connects the local working group with other municipalities and organizations.
Coordination with social actors and formation of the TFS Working Table
A TFS Working Table is established—driven by the City Council—to monitor and guide the participatory diagnostic process. This working space connects municipal bodies and organizations involved in food-related issues.
Citizen and school participation in the diagnostic process
A participatory diagnostic is developed to outline a roadmap toward more sustainable local food practices, taking into account the COVID-19 context.
A Youth Working Group is formed in local secondary schools, where students analyze their environment and collectively develop proposals. They also engage in dialogue with City Council representatives and collaborate through an online platform.
Results and follow-up: events, campaigns, and reports
The youth groups design and launch a public awareness campaign in collaboration with the City Council, educational communities, and social organizations.
A final report on the participatory diagnostic is published, and a network meeting is held with all actors involved.

Monitoring and Evaluation

This is an ongoing process throughout the entire project. A Monitoring Committee is established, made up of the technical team responsible for implementing Comer Local and the political and technical staff of the Alcorcón City Council. This committee holds bimonthly meetings to review the agreed territorial work plan.

The evaluation process involves multiple actors and uses both qualitative and quantitative tools. Additionally, one year after the project’s completion, an impact evaluation will be carried out by consulting key informants from the various sectors involved.