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Geographical Indications (GIs) are a tool to differentiate food by generating higher prices than generic alternatives, such as Champagne vs "sparkling wine". This interactive workshop launches the Follow the Food Signature Project, which critically examines if and how GIs can be used as tools for promoting fairness and sustainability in the global food system.

Through transdisciplinary dialogue and live contributions from smallholder farmers, on we will explore how GIs function across diverse contexts, including post-colonial Indonesia, post-Soviet Central Asia, and rural Italy. 

Program:

• Project introduction by Dr. Martijn Huysmans
• Presentation on Strachitunt cheese by the (producer group), reflecting on GI production in the Val Taleggio in Italy, with Q&A
• Insights from GI development cooperation by (Swiss Institute for Intellectual Property), focused on GI coffee in Indonesia, with Q&A
• Indonesian case study by (Gadjah Mada ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ’s Faculty of Forestry), focusing on Kopi Arabika Gayo from Aceh, with Q&A
• Central Asian perspectives by Dr. Flora Roberts, addressing heritage, market access, and post-Soviet transitions, with Q&A
• Discussion time to foster exchange with all participants

This workshop is part of the Pathways to Sustainability initiative and welcomes researchers, practitioners, and students interested in food justice and sustainable agriculture. It will also speak to those working on bottom-up governance, colonial and post-socialist transitions, climate-related agricultural challenges, and the risks of co-optation in sustainability frameworks. By including smallholder voices and facilitating direct exchange between producers across regions, the project aims to explore how GIs can be redesigned as instruments of empowerment, ecological stewardship, and economic fairness.