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This project will go beyond academic evaluation by facilitating direct exchange, both online and in person, between producers in marginal rural areas in Europe (e.g. Strachitunt cheese in Italy) and smallholders in the Global South (e.g. Gayo coffee in Indonesia). This project will combine fieldwork and knowledge exchange. Not just asking the academic question of whether and under what conditions GIs can contribute to fairness and sustainability (evaluation), but also using knowledge exchange among academics, policymakers and producers in the Global South and elsewhere to actually improve the situation of smallholders and address the current unsustainable and unfair practices.

Workshops and field visits will serve as spaces for peer learning, enabling farmers to share experiences and co-develop strategies for designing GIs that truly benefit smallholders. In doing so, the project also aims to resist the top-down implementation of GIs and avoid co-optation by larger actors. The academic team will learn from these interactions as well.

Initial case studies will focus on coffee in Indonesia, apricots in Tajikistan/Kyrgyzstan, and cheese in Italy. These products reflect broader challenges in global agri-food systems, such as colonial legacies, market dependence, climate change, and shifting trade regulations (e.g. the EU Deforestation Regulation). Through this transdisciplinary approach, the project will contribute to fairer and more sustainable food systems.

The project will begin in 2025 with a start-up and planning phase lasting approximately five months. During this period, the team will plan the main activities and make practical arrangements for upcoming fieldwork and knowledge exchange. A key part of this phase involves organising joint workshops to ensure an interdisciplinary approach across all activities, each involving scholars from at least two academic fields.

In late 2025 (tentatively October), the first field visit is planned in Italy, where Consortium Strachitunt will host a visit in Valtaleggio, Lombardy. This visit aims to facilitate a case comparison between different scales of Geographical Indications (GIs) in Europe, such as Gouda cheese, and the experiences of smallholders in Indonesia and Central Asian countries. The group will visit a local dairy cooperative and the valley’s Ecomuseum, gaining insight into a community-based agricultural model that includes the contributions of migrant workers from the Global South.

Throughout 2026, three rounds of fieldwork and knowledge exchange are scheduled, each lasting about three months (including preparation, travel, and reporting). The first of these will build on the Italian visit, further exploring the local context. In spring 2026 (April - June), the team will conduct fieldwork in Tajikistan and/or Kyrgyzstan. The agenda includes meetings with stakeholders involved in the GI registration process for Astanbap wild walnuts in Jalalabad province (Kyrgyzstan), and engagement with growers of Uzgen rice and Kandjak apricots in both Kyrgyzstan and the Isfara district of Tajikistan.

Fieldwork in Indonesia is planned for the end of 2026 or early 2027. The exact timing and focus of this visit will be developed in more detail once earlier fieldwork has been completed, allowing the team to build on previous insights and ensure complementarity across the different regional cases.

In parallel with the fieldwork phases, a strong emphasis will be placed on outreach and public engagement. Throughout the project, the Bassetti Foundation for Responsible Innovation (through Jonathan Hankins) will publish regular blog posts featuring project updates, event reports, and reflections. These will contribute to building a ‘network of networks’ by linking with other initiatives such as Cultivate and Place-based Circular Society Innovations. Several workshops and moments of knowledge exchange are also planned, up to four in total, depending on partner availability. One such workshop will focus on GIs as a form of grassroots responsible innovation and may be held in Utrecht or at the Bassetti Foundation. Outputs from these events, such as podcasts and video recordings, will help share insights with broader audiences.

Finally, in 2027, the project will focus on dissemination and the completion of deliverables. Results will be shared through a variety of creative formats, including a documentary, podcasts, and potentially an exhibition. Scientific output may take the form of conference presentations, peer-reviewed articles, interdisciplinary joint papers, and new grant applications. Teaching materials, such as slides and case studies, will also be developed in collaboration with the Sustainability Education and Engagement community, contributing to their educational toolbox and fostering further impact in academic settings.

Strachitunt and Taleggio cheese from Valtaleggio, by Cristina Grasseni, with reflection on Animal Welfare by Rebecca Nordquist (UU veterinary science/Future Food) By juxtaposing the cases of Taleggio and Strachitunt, Cristina illuminated how GIs serve as markers of distinction. She argued that the reinvention and survival of products like Strachitunt show how food is not just about taste or tradition, it’s also about finding ways to keep rural livelihoods alive in a rapidly changing world.

Apricots between Heritage and the Market in Central Asia, by Flora Roberts and Irna Hofman, with a reflection on alternative governance modes by Ozan Alakavuklar. Environmental historian Flora Roberts and rural sociologist Irna Hofman highlighted the deep cultural significance of apricots in Tajikistan, while also addressing the environmental, economic, and social challenges that apricot farmers face in a post-Soviet context. The session underscored the need for continued research and dialogue to ensure that interventions genuinely empower local farmers.

Kopi Gayo Arabika, by Ari Susanti and Kei Otsuki, with input from FAO. The third seminar took place during the Future Food Conference, which focused on food democracy. Emilie Vandecandelaere (FAO) opened the session by explaining how the FAO views GIs as a tool for long-term agricultural development. Ari Susanti (Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia) followed with a presentation on GIs and coffee in Indonesia, highlighting the social and ecological dimensions. Finally, Kei Otsuki facilitated a discussion in which participants reflected on the tensions between ancestral knowledge and the increasing industrialization and regulation of coffee production.

Gouda from Holland, by Martijn Huysmans, was followed by a blind tasting. Martijn explained that the Netherlands has a limited number of Geographical Indications (GIs) and presented the production chain of Dutch Gouda. Notably, protected Dutch Gouda cheeses embrace industrial production methods as a way to ensure food safety and standardization, reflecting a concept of quality more aligned with the globalized agri-food system.

This phase concluded with a workshop led by trainers from the Center for Unusual Collaborations to define the next steps. Collective brainstorming techniques were used to formulate shared questions and challenges for this Signature project. One key question that emerged was: “How can smallholders and subsistence farmers make use of GIs to achieve sustainable and economically viable agriculture?”

The issue of justice and fairness is embedded in this question: rather than taking an aggregate economic perspective, it focuses on smallholders and subsistence farmers—a vulnerable and often understudied group. The team agreed that a transformative methodology, such as knowledge exchange, will be essential to meaningfully address this question.