ESRC Seminar Series
“Sustainable Places for Food Security: Critical Reflections and International Comparisons”
Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
This seminar brought together academics and civil society organisations to explore how different places shape food systems, and how they have sought to meet current challenges. Sharing experiences from different places around the world during the day, we explored the diversity of processes of transformation unfolding aimed towards developing more sustainable and just food systems for all.
Building upon a place-based approach, the seminar facilitated place-to-place learning via the presentation and discussion of case-studies from around the world, including:
1. How are transitions to boost food security and sustainability playing out in different places?
2. How are these responses evolving over time?
3. What are the key factors and who are the key actors and institutions?
4. How are we measuring the progress of sustainable food initiatives and policies? Should we be measuring progress differently?
5. Can new sustainable modes be scaled-up and interconnected so as to create food security resilience? What are the challenges in moving forwards?
Confirmed speakers included:
Professor Harriet Friedmann, Department of Sociology (Mississauga) and Fellow of the Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto.
Professor Terry Marsden, Director, Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University
Elena Di Bella, Rural development and Traditional Food Products for the Province of Turin, Italy
Dr Roberta Sonnino, School of Planning and Geography, Cardiff University
Tom Andrews, Associate Director Sustainable Food Cities Network. Soil Association
Katie Palmer, Sustainable Food Cities Co-ordinator Cardiff
Dr Rachael Durrant, ARTS / Sustainable Lifestyles Research Fellow at SPRU, University of Sussex, and co-founder of the Brighton and Sussex Universities Food Network (BSUFN).
The Future of our Food is a major new seminar series funded by the UK Economic and Social Sciences Research Council. It brings people together to jointly explore emerging challenges in agriculture and food in the UK and globally. Each seminar explores themes of resilience, sustainability, nutritional security, public health, well-being and justice in the food system.