Working Group Coordinators
Jeroen de Vries (LNI), Meryem Átik, (Akdeniz University), Roxana Triboi (LNI), Arati Uttur (LNI), Roman Lenz (em. HfWU)
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Objectives
Foodscapes are understood as all those areas that contribute to food production such as arable land and farms, orchards, allotments, and vegetable gardens in combination with the social capital they build. Food and its production may help us connect and find shared interests across cultures. Food production could be re-envisioned as a partnership between consumer associations, foundations guiding the overall goals and corporate partnership of farmers. This would provide opportunities for jobs for disadvantaged groups like migrants and refugees. The connection between people and food should be strengthened to attract children to spend time outdoors, rather than in front of a computer screen. The landscape should give people the opportunity to grow their own food for their physical and mental well-being. Multifunctional, inclusive, and organic farms can help to protect and develop green corridors consisting of nature reserves, nature development zones and landscape development areas. Therefore foodscapes should be well connected to the networks of recreation and nature protection to trigger mutual benefits.
The working group aims to study the food system on various levels: the regional aspect of food production, the connection between producers and consumers, the role food production can have in fostering inclusive societies, and the synergy between the development of green infrastructure and sustainable food production.
Scope
Nürtingen is part of Neckar Landscape Park which is an element of Stuttgart Region Landscape Park. Before the Forum we will inquiry the existing policies, organisation of governance and types of produce and crops, the producers and the organisation of the food system. For this we will select a transect that runs from the Swabian Alb to the Neckar Valley and Nürtingen.
Partners
The Foodscape Group will connect to the Erasmus+ Sustainable Food Planning project (AESOP4Food) for the preparation. Members of the project will take part in the Forum. Further we will make connections with members of the Food Council in Stuttgart; NGOs that relate to sustainable agriculture, urban agriculture, social issues related to food; organisations of producers. During the Forum we plan to meet with local stakeholders and invite some local experts from these organisation to the working sessions during the forum.
Key questions
- Who are the main stakeholders in the regional food system?
- How are the food production areas linked to the urbanised area along the Neckar river near and in Nürtingen and its consumers?
- What are the main types of food production / processing on a regional and local level?
- What are the main challenges for developing a sustainable food system in the area that considers environmental, economic and social policies?
- Which multi-level spatial strategies can help to develop the food system in a sustainable way?
- What types of interventions on a local or site level can act as a prototype for transformative change?
Expected outcomes
- A concept for the development of sustainable foods system and their contribution to landscape quality and the foodscapes in Stuttgart Region, with an example for Nürtingen
- A vision and strategy of how the food system can be developed to support sustainable development of the area.
- A set of objectives that can be used for guidance of spatial development.
- Some proposals for spatial interventions on a site/ local /regional level that can inspire the local community, stakeholder groups and/or policy makers.