Periodic Reporting for period 3 - FoodE (Food Systems in European Cities)
Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2024-01-31
Environmental, social and economic pressures on agri-food systems are widely acknowledged, also beyond the academic community. In recent times, growing awareness, participation and concerns on food systems sustainability have permeated the EU society, leading to a growing commitment among citizens toward sustainable food production and consumption habits. Numerous City/Region Food System(CRFS) initiatives have flourished, moving public and private interest at different decisional levels and leading towards a real act of change. The process has certainly been accelerated by the visible threats caused by a near past focused on globalization and unsustainable economic growth, resulting in climate change, urbanization, diffuse poverty and resources depletion. Both outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic or recent disruptions in energy and staple foods in response to new conflicts further corroborated the need for drastic change, not only with respect to an excessive global-based development model, but also with respect to a self-capacity of urban and peri-urban systems to provide for their own food needs.
Despite the above described spontaneous growth of awareness and participation, citizens and the food system itself continue to experience gaps in the construction of a fluid and functioning chain. Guided by the motto "Think global, eat local!", the European project Food Systems in European Cities (FoodE) has taken up the challenge of bridging food system gaps and bringing to European cities (and beyond) a new model of development based on the creation of connections between local producers and consumers. The ultimate goal of the project was to accelerate the growth of sustainable CRFS projects through the direct involvement of local and citizen-led initiatives. In order to achieve this aim, FoodE elaborated from a CRFS sustainability assessment framework toward the implementation 17 pilot project initiatives, spread across 11 European cities and regions (Naples,Bologna,Sabadell,Tenerife,Amsterdam,Lansingerland,Berlin,Oslo,Longyearbyen,Romainville,Iasi,Ljubljana). The project integrated the consolidated experience of a consortium of 24 organizations including universities, research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, as well as city councils spread across 8 European countries. Through demonstration and participatory design, FoodE aimed at replicating and upscale successful models of sustainable, fair and solidarity-based local food systems.
Despite the above described spontaneous growth of awareness and participation, citizens and the food system itself continue to experience gaps in the construction of a fluid and functioning chain. Guided by the motto "Think global, eat local!", the European project Food Systems in European Cities (FoodE) has taken up the challenge of bridging food system gaps and bringing to European cities (and beyond) a new model of development based on the creation of connections between local producers and consumers. The ultimate goal of the project was to accelerate the growth of sustainable CRFS projects through the direct involvement of local and citizen-led initiatives. In order to achieve this aim, FoodE elaborated from a CRFS sustainability assessment framework toward the implementation 17 pilot project initiatives, spread across 11 European cities and regions (Naples,Bologna,Sabadell,Tenerife,Amsterdam,Lansingerland,Berlin,Oslo,Longyearbyen,Romainville,Iasi,Ljubljana). The project integrated the consolidated experience of a consortium of 24 organizations including universities, research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, as well as city councils spread across 8 European countries. Through demonstration and participatory design, FoodE aimed at replicating and upscale successful models of sustainable, fair and solidarity-based local food systems.
The approach of the FoodE project consisted in a process of co-creation and cross-pollination between academia, citizens-consumers, producers, private actors and local authorities, enabling to ensure the application of the latest innovations and interdisciplinary knowledge to address real urban and regional contexts and needs. In addition, the project aimed at creating and disseminating knowledge of food systems through various tools, with a particular focus on young minds and school pupils. The process consisted of five steps: the definition of a methodology for the assessment of CRFS; the promotion of cross-pollination between European CRFS; the increase of access to nutritious and affordable food; the creation of a tool to mobilize CRFS stakeholders; the dissemination and upscaling of outputs to other European cities and regions.
Along its four years of activities, the project has completed and laid the foundations for the achievement of all of its set targets. In particular, a consistent and Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) based on a methodological framework to assess CRFS has been defined, involving more than 800 initiatives, out of which more than 100 have provided data for sustainability monitoring. The cross-pollination process has been implemented, promoting local events and involving a wide range of stakeholders from the civil society, including citizens, students, entrepreneurs, public administrators and the scientific community. The involvement of school pupils, although slowed down by the pandemics, has been widely targeted through integrative activities, including webinars, online workshops and competitions, as well as their engagement in reviewing projects dissemination output. Whenever possible, participatory activities have been conducted with remote tools, finding great involvement in the co-design process by students and citizens through participation in international and local challenges and hackathons, survey tools, co-design workshops and focus groups. An App able to involve, educate and mobilize different types of users towards CRFS has been designed and implemented. Finally, the project, its events and the knowledge it generated on CRFS sustainability have been disseminated to the society via multiple layers, both through the project website and social networks, as well as by scientific publications, press releases and communication activities.
Along its four years of activities, the project has completed and laid the foundations for the achievement of all of its set targets. In particular, a consistent and Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) based on a methodological framework to assess CRFS has been defined, involving more than 800 initiatives, out of which more than 100 have provided data for sustainability monitoring. The cross-pollination process has been implemented, promoting local events and involving a wide range of stakeholders from the civil society, including citizens, students, entrepreneurs, public administrators and the scientific community. The involvement of school pupils, although slowed down by the pandemics, has been widely targeted through integrative activities, including webinars, online workshops and competitions, as well as their engagement in reviewing projects dissemination output. Whenever possible, participatory activities have been conducted with remote tools, finding great involvement in the co-design process by students and citizens through participation in international and local challenges and hackathons, survey tools, co-design workshops and focus groups. An App able to involve, educate and mobilize different types of users towards CRFS has been designed and implemented. Finally, the project, its events and the knowledge it generated on CRFS sustainability have been disseminated to the society via multiple layers, both through the project website and social networks, as well as by scientific publications, press releases and communication activities.
Through the launch the participatory and citizen-science initiatives, and taking benefits also from the shared knowledge of the project partners, the FoodE outputs are impacting on job creation and income generation, strengthening the role and engagement of local communities in enhancing the sustainability of food systems, as well as identifying potential win-win relations between the different actors of the food chain. Moreover, the FoodE outcomes have driven several practical applications and recommendations for uptake within European food chains, both directly, through implementation of pilot initiatives and participatory events, and indirectly, through the elaboration of policy guidelines and dissemination products.
In the short term, FoodE has created new job opportunities in EU cities through the implementation of the pilot projects (e.g. urban agriculture parks, vertical farms, aquaponic farms, small scale fishery in school canteen, circular economy restaurants, urban bee keeping), also involving fragile and disadvantaged social groups. In the medium to long term, FoodE is expected to intensify the interactions between research, food production, cities municipalities, education centers, consumers, and citizens. Such network of food actors and stakeholders is supported by both dissemination activities and dedicated support tools, enabling intense interactions in the long term. An example of these tools is the FoodE app that has been designed to ease citizen active engagement in identifying, monitoring and assessing CRFS initiative, to achieve an involvement and effective shift to local food consumption. Within networking and cross-pollination activities, a citizen-science approach is raising citizens awareness on CRFS sustainability and on the environmental impact of dietary habits, and enable them to become key actors in this respect. Activities dedicated to school pupils and young minds have increased the awareness on environmental and social aspect of food production even among the youngest. Results of FoodE are expected enable the environment for positive economic, social, and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas, meeting the needs, values, and expectations of the EU society toward responsible and ethical food systems. Based both on the developed methodology for the sustainability assessment and the input received by citizens engaged, FoodE has elaborated on existing policies on CRFS and developed CRFS stakeholders maps for best practice identification, which ultimately allowed to compile the European guidebook to sustainable CRFS.
In the short term, FoodE has created new job opportunities in EU cities through the implementation of the pilot projects (e.g. urban agriculture parks, vertical farms, aquaponic farms, small scale fishery in school canteen, circular economy restaurants, urban bee keeping), also involving fragile and disadvantaged social groups. In the medium to long term, FoodE is expected to intensify the interactions between research, food production, cities municipalities, education centers, consumers, and citizens. Such network of food actors and stakeholders is supported by both dissemination activities and dedicated support tools, enabling intense interactions in the long term. An example of these tools is the FoodE app that has been designed to ease citizen active engagement in identifying, monitoring and assessing CRFS initiative, to achieve an involvement and effective shift to local food consumption. Within networking and cross-pollination activities, a citizen-science approach is raising citizens awareness on CRFS sustainability and on the environmental impact of dietary habits, and enable them to become key actors in this respect. Activities dedicated to school pupils and young minds have increased the awareness on environmental and social aspect of food production even among the youngest. Results of FoodE are expected enable the environment for positive economic, social, and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas, meeting the needs, values, and expectations of the EU society toward responsible and ethical food systems. Based both on the developed methodology for the sustainability assessment and the input received by citizens engaged, FoodE has elaborated on existing policies on CRFS and developed CRFS stakeholders maps for best practice identification, which ultimately allowed to compile the European guidebook to sustainable CRFS.