With more than 3 billion people malnourished while food production driving climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution; the global food system’s transformation is urgently needed [1]. According to the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s (SRC) estimations, around 10.2 billion people could be fed without compromising the planetary boundaries in theory [2]. To feed the population, we collectively need to rethink how we produce (and consume) food. The experts of the SRC suggest that the reduction of food waste, more healthy diet and transitioning to more sustainable land use will be the next step toward more sustainable food systems (and here come local food systems into the picture). Efforts to achieve sustainable food systems (and food security) is influence and are influenced by environmental outcomes, aspects of social welfare and livelihood security; sustainable food systems would ideally balance these outcomes [3].
Different problems of food systems embody at different spatial scales, solutions also tend to be scale-specific and region-specific. Uncertainty grows, social and environmental circumstances are changing rapidly, therefore it is a great challenge for policy- and local decision-makers in these diverse contexts to define the appropriate intervention for achieving a more sustainable future, and seek guidance in their pursuits. We see that solutions must be region-specific, and – while achieving food system sustainability is a global aim- we need to address it on the regional level (through short food supply chains (SFSCs) and local food systems (LFSs).
SFSCs and LFSs are quite diverse in Europe. While LFSs are essential in the food chain (like the capillaries in the body), they are very vulnerable. Considering the diverse benefit they deliver to local communities, they need to be protected, innovated, and strengthened through governmental policies. European customers associate local products with more environment-friendly production methods and a lower carbon footprint as well as higher quality standards (such as freshness, nutritional value) and healthy eating [4].
Aim of the research
The overall aim of the research is to understand how SFSCs, LFS and related sustainable food solutions might contribute to the regional food system sustainability in different regions of Europe. Consumer behaviour & attitude will be examined related to local food and sustainable food. The topic of the research is discovering opportunities for a more sustainable food system regionally, by observing and analysing the current situation and comparing regions. LFSs will be observed, good practices and innovative solutions will be collected, and their viability will be analysed in other regions. Consumers’ acceptance of local food and SFSCs will be explored, and possibly compared amongst German, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish and Turkish consumers. I have selected these research areas based on my personal experience as a university scholarship holder during my MSc studies, and also considering the great research communities of the SFSC field in these countries.
Aim of the project
I would like to choose Germany as one of the research regions for exploring sustainable local food systems. In the research area I would conduct the following tasks: establishing a working group with German PhD students and young researchers in the SFSC field, collaborate with local researchers and small farmers, collecting good practices and innovations, investigate the benefits/weaknesses of the LFSs, as well as the types of SFSCs and their spread, compare the system with other regions (secondary data sources, tetrahedron model).
I would also like to measure consumer attitudes on local food and sustainable food consumption, investigate the acceptance of given solutions amongst consumers and farmers, and keep up a continuous discussion with local experts.
Practical applications, possibilities for further research, use of results
Personal motivation
According to my BSc and MSc degrees, I am an economist, but I have always had a strong environmental and sustainability perspective in my projects and research. I deal with the topics of food waste, food system sustainability and local food since 2016, conducting research, participating in field trips, conferences and awareness-raising activities. I have won the Decision theory, economic psychology section at the National Scientific Student Conference in 2021, and received second place in the Sustainable development section.
I had the chance to study for half a year in Lapland and half a year in Andalusia, where I have realised, that food is not just an environmental or business question: it is deeply embedded in customs, values and culture as well in the different regions, nations and societies. During my food waste-related research, the National Food Chain Safety Office offered me a position, and I had the pleasure to work with them for a year, as a project coordinator. I contributed to Maradéknélkül project, where we measured the household food waste and prepared communication materials for consumer awareness raising. As a PhD student, I would like to continue to develop as a professional, and work for organisations who contribute to more sustainable and fair food systems.
[1] Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., & Murray, C. J. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet, 393(10170), 447-492.
[2] Gerten, D., Heck, V., Jägermeyr, J., Bodirsky, B. L., Fetzer, I., Jalava, M.,& Schellnhuber, H. J. (2020). Feeding ten billion people is possible within four terrestrial planetary boundaries. Nature Sustainability, 3(3), 200-208
[3] Ericksen, Polly J. (2008). Conceptualizing food systems for global environmental change research. Global Environmental Change Volume 18 Issue 1 p 234-245 ISSN 0959-3780
[4] EPRS (2016). European Parliamentary Research Service (2016). Short food supply chains and local food systems in the EU; Members' Research Service. PE 586.650