The report ‘City Region Food System Governance – Guiding principles and lessons learned from case studies around the world’ is a harvest of insights from a wealth of case studies that focus on food system governance (in its broadest sense, or focusing specifically on food policy) in an urban context. These insights are complemented by key principles as formulated in guiding documents such as policy agendas and supporting frameworks that focus on urban food governance. Together, these insights come together in five guiding principles for city region food system (CRFS) governance. These guiding principles, together with a reflection on the findings from this endeavour, provide input for a knowledge agenda and future interventions that aim to contribute to more sustainable, resilient and equitable food systems in city regions around the world.

The actual real-life challenges that research practitioners (and others) face when attempting to work transdisciplinarily are not well documented. To encourage reflection, WUR organised the Wageningen Integration for Impact event in June 2022. Based on an analysis of lessons learned during this event, and a number of subsequent reflection sessions, a group of mostly WUR researchers developed this report. The aim is to identify strategies to overcome often experienced challenges among researchers engaging in transdisciplinary research. We developed a number of recommendations: 1. Embed learning about transdisciplinary research better in the organisational culture. 2. Acknowledge and value the expertise that is required to bring together different types of knowledge. 3. Identify and apply specific selection criteria for project leaders and business developers, so that people are selected based on their expertise in managing transdisciplinary projects. 4. Acknowledge that politics are part and parcel of transdisciplinary research and develop a clear vision on how to navigate knowledge politics as WUR. 5. Lobby for more flexible and longer-term funding; apply this to internal research projects. 6. Strengthen and professionalize transdisciplinary education at BSc, MSc and PhD level, as students are the future. 7. Build on and nourish the positive energy that exists within knowledge institutes among a growing group of researchers who is eager to work transdisciplinarily. The above mentioned suggestions could result in a (WUR) community which, on the longer-term, could contribute significantly to the co-creation of societally relevant solutions but also to bringing the conceptual discussions about transdisciplinarity to a higher level.

The global food system is facing big problems, such as global food security for a growing population, climate change and biodiversity conservation, which ask for transitions of the food system. To analyze or contribute to a food system transition it is important to explore possible ‘transition pathways’ towards more sustainable food systems. A ‘transition pathway’ is a narrative that describes how a new or adapted system may evolve out of a previous system. To create impact pathways need to be developed with the engagement of stakeholders. In this document, an overview is given of approaches, methods and tools which are relevant for stakeholder engagement in the development of transition pathways towards sustainable food systems. The report is intended for those who are involved in transition initiatives in a role as researcher, consultant of process facilitator. Approaches refer to the paradigms behind the way research is done. Methods are the strategies and processes that are utilized in – here - the development of transition pathways. Tools are the means that help to fulfil a task in a (research) project, for instance to collect, analyse or present information. The number of tools is endless. We distinguished several approaches: • Participatory research • Action research (e.g. multi-stakeholder partnerships) • Shared knowledge creation (e.g. community of practice) • Combinations of models and participation (e.g. transition support system approach) • Issue advocacy Next to that, we specifically describe the (different) role(s) of researchers in stakeholder involvement. Stakeholder involvement requires new skills of researchers. It helps if they have a broad experience and can understand several worlds. Approaches come to expression in the used methods. We distinguish: • Interactive scenario-building (e.g. participatory mapping) • Back-casting (e.g. socio-technical scenarios) • Participatory design (e.g. reflexive interactive design) • Participatory ‘research in process’ Within these methods, different tools for participant selection, evaluation and envisioning and forecasting can be used. For example: • Interest-power grid • SWOT-analysis • Food Systems Decision Support System • Rich picture • PIP-approach • Four Quadrants of Change • Map Table The choice of relevant methods and tools can be based on the following general principles: • Integral approach: Methods and tools need to support an integral approach • Inclusiveness and dialogue: Approaches, methods and tools should be inclusive and promote dialogue • Contextuality: Methods and tools should take cultural context into account • Long term orientation: Methods and tools should be aimed at the long-term • Focus on tangible actions: Methods and tools should facilitate concrete actions for change