Artificial Intelligence for new governance models in sustainable food systems

Food systems’ sustainability is a priority of European 2 policies, as the green (environmental protection) and blue 3 (digitalisation) transitions cannot be achieved without 4 the involvement of food systems. This chapter aims to 5 explore the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool 6 for developing new governance models for sustainable 7 food systems, in line with the guidelines of the Dialogue 8 on the Future of European Agriculture, which replaced 9 the Farm to Fork strategy in January 2024. The objective 10 of the chapter is to analyse the structure of the European 11 food model and to examine the specific characteristics of 12 the Italian food model, in order to assess whether, how, 13 and in what forms AI influences food governance. The 14 study also seeks to identify the food production models 15 in which AI can enhance governance by fostering greater 16 democratic participation and stronger representation of 17 local stakeholders. This study is highly innovative, as no 18 existing literature addresses this specific topic. While AI 19 has already been applied in food systems for purposes 20 such as quality certification and food traceability, no 21 research to date has focused on its potential to improve 22 food governance. The analysis may serve as a foundation 23 for defining new guidelines for the Common Agricultural 24 Policy and for local food policies.