City Lab representatives from 7 European countries met in Amsterdam last 26-27 November for two intense days of reflection on the first year of the project and training for the road ahead.

Looking back to a series of workshops (May-November 2018) aimed to build understanding of food systems and a shared vision, the coordinators remarked on the challenge to engage and sustain engagement from various groups but that they felt motivated to continue striving to build their community by the strong positive value participants placed on connecting with others who bring different expertise, approaches and perspectives to the table.   

Activities will resume after the winter holiday with workshops to co-create transformative educational activities. Each City Lab will be able to select the audience, topic and content that is most relevant for their community and think outside the box about how to develop competences such as system thinking, creativity and future-oriented skills.

From the urgent need to build basic food literacy expressed by participants in Sofia (Bulgaria), to a focus on the situation of small farmers in Budapest (Hungary), to a desire to act on the issue of food waste in supermarkets in Tartu (Estonia), we can’t wait to follow the City Lab journeys in the months to come, expecting that they will take different routes but stand united towards helping their food systems to be prepared for and responsive to present and future challenges.

It is not too late to join the teams developing in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Milan Sofia and Tartu! Get in touch if you wish to be part of the adventure, join the conversation using #FOOD2030EU on social media and stay tuned to news from our City Labs via http://www.fit4food2030.eu/. 

(1) Consult this policy brief to find out more about the systems approach and what it means in practice for the way research and innovation is organised in the European Union