Sustainable Food Systems

How are new food systems redefining urban-rural linkages?

Europe’s urban areas are provided with food through spatially extended food supply chains. Recently, an increasing awareness about some of the negative social, cultural, economic, health and environmental side effects of globalised food chains has emerged. Regional food policies are trying to reshape rural-urban linkages through food and to create links with other policy domains like public health, social equity and regional economic growth.

How will ROBUST deal with sustainable food systems?

Jurij Kobal and Mojca Hrabar (OIKOS), the leaders of ROBUST's Community of Practice on sustainable food systems, share some details on the subject in an interview.

Read the full interview »

Webinar 1: Municipal Food Strategies

The Sustainable Food Systems Community of Practice hosted an internal webinar on 3 October 2019 to share findings and their own local experiences with municipal food strategies. In preparation for the webinar, Dan Keech (University of Gloucestershire) shared a Food Strategy Review, which highlighted how research associates urban food strategies' two themes: food security and innovation.

Read the webinar summary and download the presentation »

Webinar 2: Local Food Branding

This webinar presentation from the Sustainable Food Systems COP argues that branding local food is not just a matter of putting something on a label, but implies the definition of clear rules on what and how to communicate, plus the guarantee of the content of the brand. Video interviews are included in the webinar, providing insights from local practitioners in Tuscany (English subtitles), Prof Giovanni Belletti (University of Florence), prof Andrea Marescotti (University of Florence) and prof Massimo Rovai (University of Pisa), with support from Sabrina Arcuri (University of Pisa).

View and download the presentation »

Webinar 3: Public Procurement for a Sustainable Food Supply

On 15 May 2020, the Sustainable Food Systems Community of Practice hosted their third internal webinar to share their local experiences with food-related public procurement policies and procedures, as well as their challenges and opportunities. Presenters included:

Mojca Hrabar, Ljubljana Living lab
Dan Keech, Gloucestershire Living Lab
Maria José de Azevedo Ilheu, Lisbon Living Lab
Mikelis Grivins and Artūrs Doveiks, Tukums Living Lab
Deserie Mansfield, Mid Wales Living Lab

View and download the presentations »

Discuss: How Local is Local? Rethinking local food and the public plate in Monmouthshire, Wales

This discussion paper developed by the ROBUST Sustainable Food Systems Community of Practice draws from the academic evidence base to examine the practicalities and merits of operationalising local food policy for the public plate in Monmouthshire. The main sections cover:

The policy background in Monmouthshire and Wales;
What local food is and where ‘local’ extends;
Why local food is advocated and whether evidence supports claims for environmental, health and economic outcomes;
How local food relates to the public plate and the opportunities and challenges involved.

View and download the report »

Related publications

Publication	Type	Date	Download
How Local Is Local? Rethinking local food and the public plate in Monmouthshire, Wales	Report	15 Oct 2020	How Local Is Local_SFSCOP_OCT2020.pdf
Rural-Urban Business Model Profile: Valorising Food Heritage and Rural Lifestyles	Factsheet	3 Aug 2020	Valorising food heritage and rural lifestyles.pdf
Rural-Urban Business Model Profile: Local Food Hubs	Factsheet	3 Aug 2020	Local food hubs.pdf
Rural-Urban Business Model Profile: Slow Food	Factsheet	3 Aug 2020	Slow Food.pdf
Rural-Urban Business Model Profile: Box Schemes	Factsheet	3 Aug 2020	Box schemes.pdf