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Transformative Mindset Course

Module 6.

From ‘Farm to Fork’: designing a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system

Author:

Georgia Spiliopoulou

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Institution:

Hellenic Agency for Local Development & Local Government, Greece

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Objectives of the training module include:

  1. This Module aims to provide Local Authorities’ and NGOs’ staff with:

  2. A better understanding of a complete food system and of all the aspects that contribute to GHG emissions and climate change.

  3. Basic knowledge of the Farm to Fork Strategy, as proposed through the European Green Deal, relevant current and expected legislative initiatives and action plans.  

  4. Insight on the role of important actors and stakeholders that should be included in the Farm to Fork process. 

  5. Proposed opportunities, provided by the EU and other institutions, that could offer skills and knowledge.

  6. Suggested actions, aiming to inform and educate those actors, about said opportunities, best practices and ways to contribute to the European Green Deal’s objectives.

  7. Relevant best practices and success stories that can be implemented on a local level.

  8. Extra material, for those who wish to obtain further and deeper knowledge.  

Content of the Module:

  • The function of a complete food system and it’s consequences on climate change

  • The impact of EU’s food system on the environment, the economy and on people. 

  • The European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy (commitments and action plans, amendments and new legislation)

  • Proposed methods for the contribution of local authorities

  • Farm to Fork best practices, as implemented on a local level

  • Teaching methods: self paced learning material, case study, quiz, additional studying material

  • Duration: 2.5 hours

Glossary

  • Climate change: long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. It can be natural, but human activities are considered to be the main driver of climate change, since the industrial revolution (18th-19th century). Source: United Nations, Climate Action, https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change 

  • Food systems: all activities and procedures involved in producing, processing, distributing, consuming and disposing food. Food products may derive from agriculture, forestry or fishery. Source: United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, Scientific Group, https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/leadership#scientific-group 

  • Food security: the ability of always providing sufficient, nutritious and economic food, so that all people can meet their food preferences and dietary needs, in order to lead active and healthy lives. Source: FAO (2003), Trade Reforms and Food Security, Rome https://www.fao.org/3/y4671e/y4671e06.htm 

  • GHG emissions: greenhouse gas emissions, any gas that has the property of absorbing heat emitted from Earth's surface and redirect it to Earth. Source: Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32003L0087 

  • Soil erosion: the process that causes the upper layer of soil particles wearing away by the natural forces, such as water and wind, or through forces associated with farming activities. Source: FAO (2015), Status of the World’s Soil Resources, Main report, Rome, https://www.fao.org/3/i5199e/I5199E.pdf 

Using Mesh Bag

Teaching

Material

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Case Study 1:

Farmers Markets:
Make food sustainable, shorten supply chains 

What do they offer?

  • Opportunity for producers to increase their gains, set their own prices and skip distributors’ costs.

  • Create local identity and build community ties, while supporting local production.

  • Promote healthier eating choices and bring consumers closer to natural, unprocessed food.

  • Reduce waste production, by reducing packaging and avoiding food waste.

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Source: Vittersø, G., Torjusen, H. et. al.,  Short Food Supply Chains and Their Contributions to Sustainability: Participants’ Views and Perceptions from 12 European Cases, Sustainability 2019, 11, 4800

What can local authorities do?

  • Promote open, organic or product specific markets (ie. meat, fish or vegetable markets). 

  • Prioritize access to farmers and fishers, with an emphasis in local producers.

  • Make permit process easier.

  • Create related infrastructure (stalls, kiosks, water and electricity supply etc.).

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Case Study 2:

The Italian paradigm:
The Campagna Amica Foundation

  • Italy has a long standing tradition of farmers markets and the world’s largest network of direct selling farmers.

  • 130,000 Italian farms sell their products directly to consumers, with the Foundation’s support.

  • Italians consider direct producers’ markets good for their health, the environment and local economies.

  • More than €6 billions where spend in Italian farmers’ market in 2018.

  • In Sicily, a regional law offers the possibility to producers to process and sell their product on their own.

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Source: https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/in-italy-the-worlds-largest-network-of-farmers-market/ 

More information: https://www.campagnamica.it/chi-siamo/#team 

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Photo by: Nikos Kavvadas, Unsplash

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Case Study 3:

Waste Management
Source reduction, recycling and composting

How does it work?

Ways to produce less waste: control packaging, distribution and food waste. 

  1. Source reduction is the most preferred strategy. Recommended practices include reusing items, buying in bulk, reducing packaging etc.

  2. Recyclable material –mostly packaging- that cannot be avoided or reused, should be sorted, processed and remanufactured into new items. 

  3. Composting organic waste means making the most out of a food system. Nutrients return to earth and waste amount is reduced.

Less waste means less GHG emissions and landfill spaces, more natural resources and raw materials, new job opportunities and more.  

 

Photo by: Łukasz Rawa, Unsplash 

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Case Study 4:

A service provided on a local level:
How to make the most of it

Local Authorities, being responsible for waste management, should:

  • Provide a complete system of waste management, according to the EU law (“Landfill Directive” 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999).

  • Prepare for the implementation of the new European regulation (Amending Directive (EU) 2018/850), urging EU countries to recycle at least 55% of their municipal waste by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035.

  • Offer an organized and integrated recycling and composting process.

  • Urge citizens to reduce their waste, reuse or donate what they do not need and recycle to the highest possible extend, by promoting recycling in public and municipal spaces and offering reward programs. 

  • Organize campaigns in schools, provide dissemination material etc., in order to inform citizens on the benefits of these practices for their health, the environment and future generations.

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Case Study 4:

The Greek model:
The Municipality of Vrilissia

In 2018 in the municipality of Vrilissia:

  • The percentage of municipal landfilled waste fell below 50%, while the percentage of reused waste increased to 53%.

  • Out of a total of 15,463 tons of municipal solid waste produced, 5,579 tons (36%) were collected separately at the source.

  • Another 5,851 tons were taken to the Mechanical Recycling and Composting Plant of the Prefecture of Attika for processing and new utilization. Only 4,033 tons were sent directly to landfills.

Currently:

  • There are 14 different streams of sorting waste at the source.

  • The Urban Network “RE-THINK Vrilissia” informs and educates citizens on recycling & composting.

  • The “followgreen” reward program, an online platform, connects recycling and composting with local stores and companies, through discounts offered to citizens in the local market.

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Source: Special Interdisciplinary Association of the Prefecture of Attica, 2018, http://www.edsna.gr/

Additional materials & sources of information

Literature

  • Von Braun J., Afsana K., Fresco L., Hassan M., Torero M., (Draft, Oct 26th 2020) Food Systems – Definition, Concept and Application for the UN Food Systems Summit, United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, available at: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/food_systems_concept_paper_scientific_group_-_draft_oct_26.pdf.

  • Meredith S., Allen B., Kollenda E., Maréchal A., Hart K., Hulot J.F., Frelih Larsen A. and Wunder S. (2021) European food and agriculture in a new paradigm: Can global challenges like climate change be addressed through a farm to fork approach? Think 2030 policy paper, Institute for European Environmental Policy and the Ecologic Institute.

  • European Commission, Food Safety, Farm to Fork strategy: https://ec.europa.eu/food/horizontal-topics/farm-fork-strategy_en.

  • FAO, Commodity Policy and Projections Service, Commodities and Trade Division, (2003), Trade Reforms and Food Security, Rome, available at: https://www.fao.org/3/y4671e/y4671e00.htm#Contents.

  • Mikhaylov A., Moiseev N., Aleshin K., Burkhardt T. 2020. “Global climate change and greenhouse effect”, in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 7(4), 2897-2913, http://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2020.7.4(21).

  • Riccaboni A., Neri E., Trovarelli F., Pulselli R.M., (2021) “Sustainability-oriented research and innovation in ‘farm to fork’ value chains”, in Current Opinion in Food Science, Volume 42, December 2021, pp. 102-112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2021.04.006. 

  • Donaldson A., (2021, October 24), “Digital from farm to fork: Infrastructures of quality and control in food supply chains”, in Journal of Rural Studies, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.10.004.

  • Nicastro R., Carillo P., (2021) "Food Loss and Waste Prevention Strategies from Farm to Fork" Sustainability 13, no. 10: 5443. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105443. 

  • Schebesta, H., Bernaz, N., & Macchi, C. (2020). The European Union Farm to Fork Strategy: Sustainability and Responsible Business in the Food Supply Chain. Eur. Food & Feed L. Rev., 15, 420. 

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