Matt Reed has been working with others from CCRI as part of the SUPURBFOOD project. The project has now reached a point where they are seeking opinions from others, and Matt has kindly written this blog post to provide an overview of the current situation…
For the past 3 years a team at the CCRI have been researching the future of food in cities as part of the SUPURBFOOD project. With partners across Europe and many cities in the global South we have been looking not just at how cities could feed themselves, but also recycle nutrients and change the ways in which land is used in order to do these things.
Throughout that process we have been presenting our findings. You can watch a summary video by following this link, or read about it a special issue of Urban Agriculture Magazine (or here). We have looked in detail at 7 cities about Europe (Bristol, Rome, Rotterdam, Zurich, Vigo, Riga and Ghent) all of which are leading in some ways about urban food provision. We have also had contributions from Peru, Brazil, South Africa, Tanzania, and China, to demonstrate how different some of the problems are – but also what is shared. Throughout this process we have had partners who are not academic researchers but involved in making projects run, of creating change on the ground. Our partners in the UK have been Joy Carey and Katrin Hochberg from f3 and The Community Farm. As full members of the project they have helped guide the research and ensure that it has been focused on what needs to be done and what can practically be done.
We are now at the stage that we need to hear from a wide range of voices about our ideas. To that end we have set up an online facility where you can help shape our recommendations to decision makers. If you have an interest in the future of urban food give us a few minutes to add your thoughts. It is possible to complete the survey in various languages – including German, French, Italian, Latvian and Dutch.
With thanks, Matt, Dan, James and Damian.
