Background
Europe’s current knowledge and innovation system is insufficient to address the increasingly complex challenges of health, sustainability, and fairness of the European food system. Interconnected environmental problems such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and soil and water degradation, and socio-economic considerations like unhealthy diets and inequality, require a better collaboration. At the same time, many researchers, citizens and underrepresented groups are excluded from the relevant networks that aim to solve these issues.
Objectives
FoSSNet directly contributes to the EU’s Farm to Fork objectives and FOOD2030 priorities of creating a more sustainable and fair food system. The project will achieve that by creating a strong and inclusive network for food system research and education. More specifically, FoSSNet will:
- develop a conceptual framework and process for developing food system transformation pathways to create a common language and understanding among food system thinkers,
- establish, mobilise and consolidate an inclusive inter- and transdisciplinary pan-European academic network for food systems science to bring European food systems scientists and the science institutions together,
- enhance inclusivity of the knowledge and innovation system for a sustainability transformation of EU food systems by addressing sensitivities to power relations and inequities that pervade food systems and contested transformation processes,
- co-produce research for sustainable food system transformation to remove existing barriers to interdisciplinarity in food system science,
- build food systems capability through an academy and curricula to ensure the impact of future food system thinkers and
- create scientific, economic and societal impact by ensuring sustainability of the network.
Approach
The project uses a broad set of systemic, inclusive and inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, to integrate a diverse set of academic and societal stakeholders and their perspectives. These approaches foster engagement of researchers of relevant disciplines and non-academic actors in advancing food system research.
The Athena Institute brings its expertise in co-creation and participatory research, to address the complex societal problems of the currently unsustainable food system and give a voice to vulnerable or underrepresented groups.