DICAM - Università degli studi di Trento

BioAzùl, Ruralia Institute - University of Helsinki, City of Gothenburg.

(EIT Food-KIC) Assessing digital and cultural potential of Food Hubs towards sustainable local food systems.

This project aims to study and test the importance of designing sustaining and managing landscape and social infrastructure to make food circular sustainability more shared and practicable. The shortening of the supply chain could be a solution to improve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the food supply chain. To promote these changes, it is necessary to work with a multiscale and multilevel approach. The project aims to explore agroecological landscapes as places for social innovation, care and transformation in support of sustainable local food policies in RIS countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal).

The project explores the role of food as an element of reconnection between farmers, citizens and “eaters” (i.e. citizens more aware of sustainable food issues) through the promotion of Community-Supported Agriculture models as sustainable examples of production, distribution, and consumption of food as well as care and enhancement of the landscape.

The project is structured according to different incremental phases that embrace crosswise the different developing steps of the project idea and it is structured according to five work packages (WPs): WP1 Scale Up, WP2 Scale deep, WP3 Scale Through, WP4 Scale Out, WP5 Management & Communication.
To this end, the research project aims to:

• enhance and redevelop landscapes through more sustainable and ecosystem-sensitive production;
• explore possible models for co-design of local food networks among small-scale farmers and local distributors;
• optimize the local food supply chain with new digital features and services;
• increase public awareness and understanding of the benefits of local food systems;
• improve the economic sustainability of local farmers and export the CSA model to other RIS countries;
• measure and monitor welfare and progress using both quantitative and qualitative research methods and techniques;
• engage government to make the distribution model more systemic.