Transforming European Food Systems with multi-actor networks and Living Labs through the FoodSHIFT Approach

Our current global Food System is facing extraordinary challenges in both size and severity, including a rise in unsustainable consumption behaviours, continued environmental degradation, growing food insecurity, and widening social inequalities. A Food System transformation is now both critically important and overwhelmingly complex, requiring nothing less than a complete overhaul of the entire value chain. Everyone is needed: Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with technological solutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with social innovations, researchers with novel methodologies, governments with food policy advancements, professionals with varying expertise, and last but not least, empowered and informed citizens with the ability and resources for better decision-making. Living Labs offer a holistic, place-based approach needed to facilitate multi-actor inputs on various levels, specifically Food System Living Labs (FSLLs) like the ones established as part of the FoodSHIFT 2030 Project. Nine front-runner Food System Living Labs were operationalised alongside a novel framework merging high-level interdisciplinary initiatives with a diverse set of innovative approaches towards more Sustainable Food Systems (SFS). The FoodSHIFT Approach concept was praised by external evaluators for its ground-breaking framework, and the nearly completed project has been listed as a best practice. However, positive applications alone will not ensure a cross-sector European-wide Food System transformation, and the following text offers a critical reflection coupled with experience-based solutions to further improve the FoodSHIFT Approach.

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Publication Details

Journal
Open Research Europe
Published
2024-10-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.17982.2
Citations
9
Primary Topic
Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.58

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article

Transforming European Food Systems with multi-actor networks and Living Labs through the FoodSHIFT Approach

Beatrice Walthall, Damiano Petruzzella, Poppy Eyre, Stefano Corsi et al.
9 citations
Open Research Europe
Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development
6.58
article

Transforming European Food Systems with multi-actor networks and Living Labs through the FoodSHIFT Approach

Beatrice Walthall, Damiano Petruzzella, Poppy Eyre, Stefano Corsi, Katerina Valta, Marin Lysák, José Luis Vicente‐Vicente, Christian Bugge Henriksen, Katerina Riviou, Maarten Crivits, Marta Sylla, Carla Mingolla, Lena Marijke Wenzel, Raluca Barbu, Luke John Schafer, Małgorzata Świąder, Gustavo Arciniegas, Giordano Ruggeri, Lorenzo Labellarte, Aida Anthouli, Anita Beblek, Annika Fruehbeisser, Catalina Rogozan, Alessandra Schmidt, Dirk Wascher, Francesca Volpe
article en
9 citations

Abstract

Our current global Food System is facing extraordinary challenges in both size and severity, including a rise in unsustainable consumption behaviours, continued environmental degradation, growing food insecurity, and widening social inequalities. A Food System transformation is now both critically important and overwhelmingly complex, requiring nothing less than a complete overhaul of the entire value chain. Everyone is needed: Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with technological solutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with social innovations, researchers with novel methodologies, governments with food policy advancements, professionals with varying expertise, and last but not least, empowered and informed citizens with the ability and resources for better decision-making. Living Labs offer a holistic, place-based approach needed to facilitate multi-actor inputs on various levels, specifically Food System Living Labs (FSLLs) like the ones established as part of the FoodSHIFT 2030 Project. Nine front-runner Food System Living Labs were operationalised alongside a novel framework merging high-level interdisciplinary initiatives with a diverse set of innovative approaches towards more Sustainable Food Systems (SFS). The FoodSHIFT Approach concept was praised by external evaluators for its ground-breaking framework, and the nearly completed project has been listed as a best practice. However, positive applications alone will not ensure a cross-sector European-wide Food System transformation, and the following text offers a critical reflection coupled with experience-based solutions to further improve the FoodSHIFT Approach.

Open Research EuropeVol. 4
University of Copenhagen (DK), University of Milan (IT), Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (PL), Transylvania University of Brașov (RO), AgResearch (NZ), University College Copenhagen (DK), Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (ES), Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (DE), Antes (NL), Ellinogermaniki Agogi (GR), Instituut voor Landbouw en Visserijonderzoek (BE), Draxis Environmental Technologies (Greece) (GR), University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT)
European Commission, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development
6.58
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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