SUPURBFOOD

Towards sustainable modes of urban and peri-urban food provisioning

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Short food supply chains have been advocated as a means of rural development, as they improve the position of primary producers in the value chain. In this proposal we look at short supply chains from the perspective of urban rather than rural development. Short supply chains can play a role in addressing urban problems such as climate change, obesity, storm water control, etc. Short food supply chains have been advocated as a means to reduce CO2 impact of the agricultural system. Although a reduction of food miles certainly contributes to reducing climate impact, this proposal takes as premise that to really improve the ecological performance of the food system other flows of goods and services need to be shortened as well (e.g. nutrient, water, and carbon cycles need to be closed). In the current context these aspects are usually treated separately, this proposal argues to treat them more integrated. The research will analyse the way in which several European city regions deal with short supply chains in food, nutrients, water, and carbon. The project will facilitate selected SMEs to further innovate in food production and delivery, nutrient and water management, and multifunctional use of space, and will disseminate the results among a wider audience of SMEs. By doing so, the research will look beyond the state of the art, it will suggest how city regions could look like if they chose to further relocalise their food system. Finally the project will also establish links with stakeholders and RTD activities regarding urban and peri-urban agriculture and short chain delivery of food in urban and peri-urban areas in developing countries. This will be organised through a process of dialogue, sharing of experiences, exchanging of best practices and joint learning.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A multidisciplinary network is being established to improve sustainable urban food planning and support the invention and implementation of relevant strategies.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Improving food supply chains in urban areas can help address numerous urban challenges, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving food quality and safety. Improving supply chains though, and ensuring their sustainability, requires not only shortening them, but shortening the flow of other goods and services as well.

By addressing chain shortness, water, nutrient and waste management, and multifunctional land use, the project 'Towards sustainable modes of urban and peri-urban food provisioning' (http://www.supurbfood.eu (SUPURBFOOD)) takes a more comprehensive approach to sustainable urban food production. The project is developing innovative approaches to these aspects in Europe and the global south, analysing the way different city regions deal with such issues.

The first 18 months of the project, the exploration phase, have now been completed and the second experimentation phase has begun. During the exploration phase, data was collected and analysed from different European city regions on each of the three topics. The team discovered that citizens are drivers for making food a local political issue and that support at the regional level would increase its impact. Clear interest was shown in short food supply chains for both production and consumption.

In terms of waste management, a lot of technological solutions were used and there was little civic participation. The experiences and best practices of developing countries were also studied in this first phase. It became clear that shortening chains requires the strengthening of linkages at the city region level and initiatives based on a balanced mix of government mechanisms. In general, this first phase provided interesting approaches at the thematic level and helped prioritise the needs of participating small and medium-sized enterprises.

This project is a valuable opportunity for science and industry stakeholders to collaborate and exploit new research opportunities to address pressing urban challenges. Collaboration will continue through two city region workshops in all seven city regions and two international seminars. Ultimately, the project will provide policy recommendations for both public policy and business strategies, promoting innovative interdisciplinary solutions for sustainable urban food production.