The EU project FOSTER will contribute to accelerating the needed transformation of our food system. Our contribution lies in reflecting on and re-considering the existent scientific knowledge base as well as the associated knowledge and innovation systems that feed into the food system in the European Research Area.
Science, knowledge and innovation are key in addressing the emerging challenges of providing a healthy and affordable diet for EU citizens through a sustainable food system. To achieve this desired outcome, it is essential to identify challenges as well as opportunities within and around our European food system.
VISION & MISSION
FOSTER is a collaboration of academia with citizen initiatives, innovation advisors and advocacy groups, which we group together as change-driven initiatives (CDI). These different actors bring in heterogeneous perspectives in FOSTER.
How knowledge is produced and facilitated by the various actors, how it is transferred, shared and used by others and ideally leads to innovation is called our knowledge and innovation system (KIS). We expect that changing our KIS will serve as a ‘lever’ to change how our food is produced, processed, distributed, consumed and its waste is discarded or re-used. In FOSTER we share the expectation that we can help transform the food system (outcomes) by enriching the knowledge base, and we acknowledge that there is a need for a new vision of our Knowledge and Innovation governance structure for our food system in Europe.
FOSTER’s mission is to develop a foundation for a future and new knowledge and innovation system. Such a food-oriented knowledge and innovation (‘system’) in FOSTER we call ‘FOKIS’. We consider FOKIS as a consistent further development of AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems), the currently very well established agricultural knowledge and innovation system in Europe, to meet the complex requirements of food systems. FOKIS will effectively accelerate the transition processes towards sustainable food systems across all EU member states. In FOSTER we will not only develop the FOKIS design but getting a step further and linkage around specific groups of food system actors underrepresented in AKIS. In FOSTER we specifically look at CDIs, and via these, at transition networks of change agents, including food professionals, food democracy activists and citizen initiatives, vulnerable communities, with their linkages to knowledge actors (scientists, innovation advisors) and, very relevant, policy makers from domains related to food systems. According to our mission, these change agents need to be better embedded in the European Research Area for food systems and foster collaboration between networks of science and practitioners.
Our research, experiences and understanding of FOKIS will be compiled in "FOSTER’s Theory of Change" for a future knowledge and innovation system. The FOSTER partners and external experts will develop recommendations targeted to decision-makers in policy and science.
