Mapping Financing Ecosystems in Nova Scotia: Implications for Sustainable Food System Transitions

Transitioning to sustainable food and agriculture systems is essential for meeting global targets such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the Canadian context, governance actors increasingly recognize food system transformation as a cornerstone of sustainable development. However, translating roadmaps, frameworks and partnerships on the ground is laden with friction. Teasing out the way different interests interact in practice is critical for understanding the direction of food systems transitions and identifying potential roadblocks and opportunities. This paper examines how public, private, and non-profit actors in Nova Scotia are investing in sustainable food systems, providing insights into the province's evolving food and agriculture financing ecosystem. Drawing on sustainability transitions theory, this research highlights the underexplored but critical role of finance in shaping the directionality of innovation and sustainability efforts within food systems. Through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, the study maps patterns of financial investment in Nova Scotia’s food sector, identifying roadblocks, opportunities, and interventions to facilitate a more sustainable future. This paper aims to contribute to the growing literature on sustainability transitions, emphasizing the importance of finance in driving structural change in food and agriculture sectors.