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Call to participate in a two-day Sandpit-based workshop to build a partnership and develop a multidisciplinary research proposal on 'Fair Food Transitions: Tackling the Complex Challenges of Sustainable and Just Transitions'

Closing date: Friday 7 October, 17:00

Are you currently carrying out research on food production and consumption or food governance, and are you interested in exploring their role in fair transitions to sustainable and healthy food systems and diets?

Are you interested in becoming part of a consortium of UU researchers that jointly aim to acquire a large research grant on fair food transitions in the Netherlands, Europe or other parts of the world in their global entanglements?

If so, this FFU Sandpit call may be of interest to you. Future Food Utrecht is pleased to invite UU researchers to apply to attend a two-day Sandpit-based workshop on Fair Food Transitions: Tackling the Complex Challenges of Sustainable and Just Transitions

Future Food Utrecht Sandpits are interactive workshops involving a small, interdisciplinary group of participants. Sandpits are intensive discussion forums where free thinking is encouraged to delve into the problems relating to the identified theme with a goal to uncover innovative solutions. Our two-day workshops are  based on the Sandpit approach and will be adjusted to the needs of a call (to be identified). The aim is to explore different themes in a specific  field and to build a partnership for developing an interdisciplinary research proposal. The intended outcome is a collectively written, strong research proposal.

The research topic of the FFU sandpit-based workshop
There is overwhelming evidence that our current food system (production, retail, governance and consumption) has harmful long-lasting effects on humans, animals and the environment (EAT Lancet-Commission on Food, Planet, Health; 2019). In spite of the adoption of the Sustainability Development Goals by the United Nations in 2015 and the EU Green Deal in 2020, the necessary transition of the food system in the developed world – and certainly in the EU/Europe and the Netherlands - is proceeding far too slowly, while this non-sustainable food system has far-reaching implications beyond borders: many regions of the world are burdened by the consequences of the globalisation of an unsustainable food system: by climate change, by loss of arable land and soil, by poor nutrition, and especially in the Global South, also by malnutrition. Supported by government policies and an outdated agricultural subsidy system, large-scale and environmentally polluting industrial food production remains the norm in the developed (‘Western’) world, while a large proportion of consumers (in these countries) follow familiar, predominantly unhealthy consumption patterns in a food environment that perpetuates these patterns. At the same time, numerous projects, initiatives, and measurements emerge to foster the change of these food systems.

Research needs to be conducted on the factors that continue to impede a food system transition in the Netherlands, the EU/Europe and/or globally, but also on whether measurements designed to foster transition lead to inclusive and sustainable transformations of food systems. The issues of inclusiveness and fairness, or justness, should include examining the role of all the components of the food system - governance, production, retail and consumption behaviour - in their mutual political, economic, social and cultural entanglements. How can policy- and lawmakers, industry, producers, retail, education, information and consumers contribute to inclusive and fair transitions? What do these terms – inclusive, fair, just – mean in this/these contexts and which normative obligations follow for different actors? What is the power play between incumbent firms and institutions and initiatives challenging the traditional food system? What is, and ought to be, the role of the EU’s complex multi-layered governance system? What cultural traditions and social processes could help to foster inclusive and fair transitions? In other words, how can we ensure that this transition is just, economically fair, socially inclusive, and environmentally regenerative in the global context? Answering these questions requires the multidisciplinary cooperation of scholars and scientists from diverse faculties. It is the aim of the Sandpit-based workshop to bring these together.

Keywords: food fairness; social inclusion; food sovereignty; just governance; planet healthy food systems; deep transitions.

Aim and outcome of the FFU Workshop
Future Food Utrecht wishes to reinforce the research related to fair food transitions at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ by bringing together scholars and scientists from different disciplines. The outcome of this Sandpit-based workshop is to draft one or more project proposals led by UU researchers for the development of full proposals to be submitted to EU or Dutch Funding Agencies. To facilitate this process, RSO staff will be present during the workshop. If the draft proposal is deemed sufficiently effective and innovative for achieving a food production transition and competitive enough for attaining funding, the Board of Future Food Utrecht will award the consortium further financial support to write the full proposal (see below). It is expected that the consortium will be expanded at that stage to include stakeholders and other (international) research institutes to complete the consortium for submitting a competitive research proposal.

Funding available
Future Food Utrecht has organised several Sandpit-based calls related to its research themes. For this Sandpit on Fair Food Transitions a total amount of €50k is available. These funds can be used for hiring capacity to aid proposal development to cover material costs necessary for proposal development or to fund workshops to promote further networking and proposal development.

Applying to participate in the FFU Sandpit-based workshop
Applications are invited from individual researchers who feel that they can contribute to the challenges in this topic. Please note that participation in both Sandpit workshops (dates are below) is compulsory. Applicants should send an email to Simone Pekelsma (Managing Director of Future Food, s.a.pekelsma@uu.nl) containing the following information:
 

• Name, position, department, faculty;
   
• A short motivation describing why you would like to participate, what you think you can contribute to the Sandpit and what direction you would prefer the Sandpit to take in terms of research questions/challenges; 
   
• Summary of track record relevant to the topic of the Sandpit (i.e. papers, newspaper articles, but also specific skills including for example knowledge valorisation)

The size of the group participating in the workshop is essential not only for the interaction but also to make sure that every participant can be a partner in the final proposal. That is why from the received applications, approximately 8-10 participants will be selected to take part in the Sandpit. The Future Food Utrecht Board will make a selection. Within the pool of applicants selected based on these criteria, the panel will bring together a multidisciplinary team with diverse experience, gender and background.

Deadline
The deadline for applications is Friday 7 October, 17:00

More information
If you would like more information about the content of the Sandpit, please contact Prof. Dr. Eggo Müller (Humanities) or Prof. Dr. Anna Gerbrandy (Law, Economics and Governance)

If you would like more information about practical procedures, please contact Simone Pekelsma, Managing Director Future Food Utrecht.
 

Timeline