EcoFoodSystems launched at 2023 World Food Forum by University of Galway
Ciara Varley, Charles Spillane
Food systems stakeholders from across the globe learned about the EcoFoodSystems project at the World Food Forum at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome, 16th – 20th October 2023: EcoFoodSystems, a research and innovation project that aims to enable the transition towards diets that are more sustainable, health and affordable for consumers in city regions, was launched by the University of Galway EcoFoodSystems project team at the World Food Forum on Wednesday, October 18th.
Evidence-based transitions towards climate-resilient food systems are essential for sustainable development. Projections indicate that 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050 and will be the majority consumers of the world’s food. The diets of cities will dictate the health of their populations and also impact on the livelihoods of rural food producers and humanity’s ability to remain within planetary boundaries. Transitioning toward more sustainable agricultural systems and urban diets are interlinked requiring systemic changes at multiple levels, including in rural, urban and peri-urban areas.
EcoFoodSystems aim to facilitate this transition through the development of a systems-based approach for transition of urban and peri-urban diets to diets that are more affordable, healthy and sustainable. To enable sustainable agroecological transitions, it is important that decision-support tools capable of encouraging sustainable dietary changes are co-developed with key stakeholders.
The EcoFoodSystems project is a collaborative research project funded by the European Union’s Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) initiative and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The project is led by the University of Galway, with partners Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and Rikolto. EcoFoodSystems is conducting research to provide evidence and decision-supports to stakeholders to enable sustainable dietary transitions in the project’s three cities of focus: (1) Cali, Colombia; (2) Hanoi, Vietnam; and (3) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The EcoFoodSystems research project was launched at the 2023 World Food Forum at the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy by the University of Galway EcoFoodSystems team. The team members met with researchers and stakeholders from across the globe, including the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.
In his keynote speech at the World Food Forum, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, stated that sustainable food systems were integral to solving global crises of “poverty and inequality, global hunger, debt, and climate change.” He placed emphasis on the “fundamental role” of agroecological principles in developing new management systems for our agroeconomic systems.
Project Leader of EcoFoodSystems, Prof. Charles Spillane, said: “The EcoFoodSystems project is timely as there is an urgency, if sustainability and development goals are to be met, to accelerate transitions of city-regional diets towards diets that are more affordable, healthy and sustainable. For effective decision-making that leads to intended outcomes, it is critical that such decision-making is supported by robust evidence and data to inform pathways towards healthier urban citizens whose dietary consumption patterns do not damage their own health and the health of the planet, while ensuring decent livelihoods for rural food producers”.
Learn more about the EcoFoodSystems research and innovation project on our website: www.ecofoodsystems.org