Project number: FK143247

The popularity of local food has been increasing in Hungary in recent years, and COVID has, if possible, strengthened this even further. The question is, however, how this positive trend will develop in the future, and whether a breakthrough will finally be made in terms of the transition towards sustainable food systems. Can local food be shown to have a positive impact on the local economy? The research looks at the main local food distribution channels and the main actors of short food supply chains: the producers and consumers involved. A central question is to explore and furthermore, compare the attitudes, values and value profiles of the stakeholders in order to understand how psychological-cultural differences can be facilitators or barriers to the development of local food systems.
The research will use a variety of methodological tools, and the resolution of application-related problems is expected to be an exciting contribution to the literature. The results can also be used for a variety of societal purposes: to guide decision-makers in the design of rural development programmes, for example, and to provide important inputs for civil society and the organisers of short food supply chains.