Promoting sustainable food systems: An empirical analysis of local Food Hub governance models and structures in 12 African settings

African food systems are increasingly challenged by climate change, market instability, globalization, urbanization, and recent global crises. Such challenges, along with a mismatch between consumers’ preferences and production opportunities, are generating vulnerabilities in the local food systems and exacerbating food insecurity and environmental problems such as land degradation, water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity. In response to these challenges, this study investigates the concept of Food Hubs as a potential adaptive governance mechanism. By analyzing and comparing information collected from 12 Food Hubs across five African countries, the research aims to uncover how local actors design and implement Food Hubs alongside the governance structures and mechanisms they adopt. Our results show that the 12 Food Hubs hold the potential to respond effectively to contemporary food system challenges, promote resilience in food systems, and enable more sustainable use of environmental resources. In particular, we point to the role played by the context in which they operate, its impact on their organizational structures, public/private stakeholders’ involvement, and the array of formalization procedures, ranging from loosely binding agreements to the implementation of ad hoc institutions. This study contributes to an in-depth understanding of Food Hub development and governance, offering both empirical insights into their role in building sustainable and adaptive food systems in the African context and a theoretical contribution to the design, development, and implementation phase of Food Hubs (and similar organizations).