FOODLINKS

"Knowledge brokerage to promote sustainable food consumption and production: linking scientists, policymakers and civil society organisations"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The policy issue central to this project is food as many of today’s sustainability problems (e.g. water shortage, GHG emissions, pollution of soil and water, decrease of biodiversity, urban waste) are related to the prevailing pattern of food production and consumption (including processing and distribution). Hence, developing more sustainable food production and consumption patterns will have a significant impact on sustainable development in general. This project aims to develop and experiment with new integrative modalities of linking research to policy-making in the field of sustainable food consumption and production, thereby contributing to the establishment of new policy-relevant communities of researchers, policy makers & CSOs and enhancing the use of research insights in policies to promote sustainable food systems. Three different Communities of Practice will be developed, focusing on different dimensions of a newly emerging integrated territorial food geography: a) short food supply chains, b) sustainable public food procurement, and c) urban food strategies. Like the FOODLINKS consortium, each CoP will consist of researchers, policymakers and CSO representatives. In this project we will monitor and evaluate the knowledge brokerage activities in the CoPs, in order to propose new ways of linking research and policymaking in the food domain as well as in other public domains.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

As the world's population continues to grow, providing healthy foods is an ongoing challenge. An EU-funded project developed a new food geography for sustainable food production.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The project http://www.foodlinkscommunity.net/ (FOODLINKS) addressed food sustainable and consumption issues by fostering collaboration among policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations. This was accomplished through three communities of practice (CoPs), which used knowledge-brokering activities to learn how to work together.

The lessons learned are summarised in recommendations for effective knowledge brokerage across science, policy-making and civil society, that are presented in a separate booklet which is available at the http://www.foodlinkscommunity.net (website). Besides, the project produced a policy brief that informs policymaker about the project and its results.

Each CoP focused on a topic relevant to food sustainability. One addressed short food supply chains (SFCs), another looked at revaluing public food procurement, and the third studied urban food strategies. Collaboration included both face-to-face and online communication.

Findings from each CoP resulted in recommendations for next steps. The CoP for SFCs determined that they are a viable alternative to long, globalised food chains and are becoming increasingly important. SFCs are more environmentally friendly and have the potential to lead to healthier diets because seasonal foods can be supplied more readily. They also may increase the viability of small- and medium-size farms and processing companies. Best practices related to public procurement demonstrated that it is one of the powerful tools available to build sustainable food systems. While an initial financial investment is needed, the benefits could include food raised according to environmentally sound methods, availability of more fairly traded products and greater support for local businesses. Finally, developing an urban food strategy means putting food on the urban agenda and forging networks among stakeholders. All three CoPs produced publicly available action plans with useful recommendations. They are available at the FOODLINKS website and are already used by policymakers and civic organisations.

The findings point to the importance of four components. First, spatial proximity has the potential to improve the local economy. Second, changing food provisioning systems may promote health and social equity. Third, governments at the city-regional level may take on new responsibilities in promoting sound food policies. Finally, there is no one way to achieve these goals, but linking research, policy, advocacy and business is essential.

Moving forward, to help bring about these policy changes, collaboration needs to be institutionalised, preferably at the city-regional level. The FOODLINKS website and the http://foodnet.ning.com (foodnet blog) can serve as a hub for further discussion and policymaking.