Right-Wing Social Movements and Agri-Food Systems: Political Priorities, Industry Beneficiaries, and Socio-Ecological Consequences

The resurgence and rise of right-wing political movements across the globe have profoundly influenced agri-food systems and the institutions that govern them. These movements—rooted in nationalism, traditionalism, deregulation, and extractive economic priorities—are reshaping policy environments related to agriculture, land use, public health, climate, and biodiversity. Often aligned with powerful industry lobbies and agribusiness sectors, right-wing agendas have promoted large-scale, industrial agriculture models while rolling back environmental protections, labor rights, and equity-oriented reforms.
Despite their growing influence, the pathways, beneficiaries, and socio-ecological impacts of these movements within food system governance remain poorly understood.

This Special Research Topic will examine how right-wing political ideologies and social movements are shaping food and agriculture systems, which sectors and institutions benefit from this alignment, and what consequences emerge for sustainability, democracy, and justice. From local land use decisions and federal farm bills to transnational trade agreements and nationalist food security discourses, right-wing influence spans scales and sectors of governance. This volume seeks to surface rigorous, critical analyses of these developments from across geographies and disciplines.

Focus & Scope: This Research Topic invites contributions that critically explore the role of right-wing political movements in shaping agri-food systems, focusing on political ideologies, institutional alliances, policy tools, and resulting social and ecological outcomes. We welcome interdisciplinary and international submissions that investigate both explicit and structural dynamics—from grassroots mobilizations to high-level policy shifts.

We especially invite contributions that address the following themes:
● Case studies of right-wing food system reforms at local, state, or national levels
● Political ideologies, rhetoric, and discourses of right-wing movements and their relationship to food and agriculture
● Deregulation, privatization, and industry capture of food system governance
● Opposition to climate-smart agriculture, agroecology, and equity-based food reforms
● Repression or co-optation of food justice, Indigenous, and land sovereignty
movements
● Alliances between far-right parties and agribusiness or extractive industry actors
● "Food nationalism," self-sufficiency narratives, and anti-globalism in food policy
● Impacts of right-wing agendas on climate resilience, biodiversity, and ecological sustainability
● Role of media, misinformation, and culture wars in food policy debates
● Implications for democracy, participatory governance, and institutional trust in food systems

Objective: The aim of this Special Research Topic is to advance understanding of the political, institutional, and ecological consequences of right-wing movements within global and regional agri-food systems. By compiling empirical research, conceptual frameworks, and grounded case studies, this volume will illuminate how political ideologies shape material outcomes for food system sustainability, equity, and resilience.

Types of Manuscripts Invited: We welcome a range of manuscript types that address the political and institutional dimensions of food system governance, including:
● Original Research Articles
● Case Studies
● Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
● Policy and Practice Reviews
● Perspective, Opinion, and Commentary Pieces

All submissions must contribute to advancing knowledge, policy, or practice at the intersection of right-wing political ideology, social movements, food system governance, and social and ecological outcomes.

Important note: This manuscript summary and scope statement is mandatory for this Research Topic. Authors should copy and paste the scope questions provided in the submission portal and address them when submitting their manuscript summary.

Please do not attempt to download or edit this document, instead copy and paste the questions and address each one when submitting your manuscript summary: document and answer these ahead of your manuscript summary. Please ensure that your answers precede the manuscript summary itself.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Food Systems, Governance, Right-Wing Populism, Agri-Food Policy, Deregulation, Critical Political Economy, Climate Politics, Sustainability, Equity, Democracy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.