At the start of October, member of our pool of external representatives (PER), Charlotte Jackson from NFYFC, attended the University of Bologna in Italy. She was attending an event entitled ‘Exploring future pathways for a sustainable food system transformation’, which was co-organised by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission and the University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences.
The workshop aimed to engage experts and actors of the food system with tools and methods from design, futures and systems thinking to explore possible pathways for sustainable food system transformations. Here is what Charlotte had to say about the workshop:
What motivated you to attend this workshop?
I wished to attend the workshop to learn more about the impact of unsustainable food production and consumption patterns on human health and environmental degradation. Climate change and the demand for food is continuing to rise, as the world population increases, meaning a transformation to implementing more sustainable practices within the food system is required. The workshop represented a unique opportunity to come together with stakeholders from across Europe to explore innovative pathways for future food system transformation and achieving the European Green Deal.
Why is it important that rural youth is represented?
Rural youth represent the future generation and will be impacted the most by climate change, so it is very important that our voices are heard. Many rural youth work in agriculture and are at the heart of food production, so any policy changes are likely to have a big effect on them.
What was your highlight during the event?
The most inspiring part of the workshop for me was being able to connect with other stakeholders and share ideas for creating an alternative food network system focused on community supported agriculture and short supply chains. This ‘future wheels’ exercise allowed us to think innovatively about how replacing global supply chains with local food systems would impact everyday life and different parts of the value chain including production, processing, storage and resource management. Learning from others was the most valuable part of the workshop, as we all play a part in fostering systemic change in food systems and creating sustainability.
