If it works here, perhaps it can work there

If the world is to change the current food systems into something more sustainable, seeds of inspiration are needed from a variety of places. That include grassroot initiatives in and around the Swedish capital.

In a study published in Global Food Security, centre researchers My Sellberg, Albert Norström, Garry Peterson and Line Gordon have looked at how these initiatives in the Stockholm-Mälaren region can be used as inspiration for a sustainable and resilient food future.

The future of food is bright

The authors explain how these local initiatives work with “food tech, urban farming, innovative farming practices, food waste and green rehabilitation.” These are themes behind the “seeds” used in a workshop which in turn is based on the Seeds of the Good Anthropocene project. This is an international scientific experiment gathering examples of positive initiatives that have the potential to be scaled up.

In the workshop, groups developed visions of how they thought local projects would create a sustainable shift for food.

These imagined scenarios revealed four main insights into “a vision of a positive food future.”

1. Increased self-sufficiency and access to local food – Tightening connections between producers and consumers to reflect the importance of locally grown food and eating seasonally
2. A vibrant and inclusive food sector – Enhancing the value of economic, social, and cultural aspects of food
3. Nutrient-rich, less resource-intensive diets – Predicting the production of more nutrient-dense foods along with making less waste and eating less meat
4. Agriculture contributing to environmental sustainability – Emphasising the importance of transitioning into sustainable agriculture for lessening its negative impact on the environment

Start local, aim global

However, the researchers also highlight some conflicting responses from workshop attendees such as whether or not there is a responsibility to increase food production to benefit areas facing worse impacts of climate change. Individuals were also divided on the topics of making the switch to plant-based proteins and if prices should increase to represent higher food quality.

They also outline the main obstacles blocking this transition into a positive food future:

• A consolidated retail sector
• Lack of political will and knowledge
• International price competition
• Increasing average age of farmers

While it is important to acknowledge disagreements and obstacles, the researchers stress the key to creating a positive food future lies in the opportunities of this vision. This is what workshop-goers noted in their answers about opportunities for transformation such as influencing political change in the direction of food security. The focus on strengthening ties between producers and consumers was also considered a significant opportunity for rethinking how food is produced and consumed.

Considering the positive outlook of a vibrant and inclusive regional food sector, this presents an opportunity for several local initiatives to teach urban dwellers about sustainable food production.

This vision is also recognised by seeds “Sweden Foodtech” and “Farming incubator,” which support start-ups and food entrepreneurs acting to transform networks surrounding food production.

Seeds such as “Global Farm Platform,” “Perennial farming,” and “Biogas for cycles” offer hope for environmentally sustainable agriculture, which involves more circular models of how food waste can be returned back to the earth to feed food and energy production.

The researchers believe the work covered in their study is of interest to other regions beyond Stockholm-Mälaren: “Together with scholars who have used the approach in different parts of the world, we believe that it can be useful to navigate food system change in other places as well.”