What we (don’t) know about the sustainability of short food chains

Short food chains are central in the collective imagination of local food activists and supporting them is the backbone of many local food policies. However, what does scientific literature actually say about their impacts? In a paper published in Sustainability, Yuna Chiffoleau and Tara Dourian, from INRAE (France), show that despite these supply chains playing a major role in the local food discourse, a lot is yet to understand about their actual impacts

Novice gardeners in community gardens do not always change their behaviour

green apple beside of two clear glass jars

Photo by Toni Cuenca on Pexels.com In the latest So What? Series of the UNESCO Chair in World Food System, Marion Tharrey and Nicole Darmon sum up key findings from the JArDinS study, conducted in the Greater Montpellier area (France). They show that there is no obvious link between starting to participate in a community …

De nouvelles estimations du gaspillage alimentaire qui revoient les chiffres à la hausse

fruits in a plastic bag

Le Centre d’Etudes et de Prospective du Ministère de l’Agriculture revient sur le premier rapport du PNUE sur le gaspillage alimentaire à l’échelle mondiale. Près de 18% de la production alimentaire mondiale serait gaspillée, soit deux fois plus qu’estimé auparavant. http://veilleagri.hautetfort.com/archive/2021/04/19/premier-rapport-mondial-sur-le-gaspillage-alimentaire-par-le-6310729.html Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

New study in Chicago shows urban agriculture can support food systems but is no panacea for local food insecurity

green and brown metal tool

A team of researchers estimated how much of the food demand of Chicago could be met by maximizing urban agriculture, and how much adjacent land would be required to produce the rest.  Models suggest that, under current urban agricultural production conditions, meeting the nutritional needs of Chicago inhabitants remains unfeasible within a radius under 400 …

Quelles pistes pour l’analyse des bassins alimentaires ?

L’analyse des bassins alimentaires (foodshed en anglais) a émergé dans les années 1970, avec pour objectif de documenter les liens entre la production alimentaire dans les espaces ruraux et la consommation des villes. Un article récemment publié dans Environmental Research Letters passe en revue la recherche existante à ce sujet, et formule des recommandations pour améliorer les méthodologies et mieux intégrer ces études dans les politiques alimentaires urbaines.

What can we do with foodshed analysis?

Since the late 1970s, foodshed analysis has been used to estimate and examine links between rural food production and urban consumption. A recent paper published in Environmental Research Letters reviews existing research and provides recommendations to improve methodologies and better integrate such studies in urban food policies. Why do we need such studies? Are they comparable? What could be done to improve them?

Urban home gardens are amazing nectar pantries for pollinating insects, University of Bristol study finds

Through an innovative methodology, the research project compared urban and rural nectar production, and identified concentrations thereof in city contexts. Findings show that domestic and public gardens harbor 85% of sustenance for pollinators in urban areas, otherwise largely inhospitable to them. The study thereby underlines the significant role urban dwellers/gardeners may play in supporting pollinators, …

What about better connecting policies to improve impacts?

The Food Research Collaboration think tank recently published a report called “How Connected is national food policy in England?” that explores how policy areas could be better connected to improve the sustainability of the food system. Dr Kelly Parsons presents in a blog post their research and other recent analysis from other organisations such as …

Le point sur l’artificialisation des sols en France

drone shot of resort in a city

Le magazine Challenges a interrogé des chercheurs sur le phénomène de l’artificialisation des sols et fournit un rapide tour d’horizon de la question : https://www.challenges.fr/green-economie/artificialisation-des-sols-quatre-questions-pour-comprendre-ce-phenomene-preoccupant_750650 Pour en savoir plus sur la dynamique d’artificialisation des sols à l’échelle mondiale, consultez notre article sur la question, ainsi que les pistes de recherche pour la protection des terres …

Quelle place de l’assiette dans les politiques publiques?

flat lay photography of vegetable salad on plate

Dans le cadre de l’université Afterres organisée début février 2021, plusieurs chercheurs et praticiens reviennent sur le lien entre l’assiette alimentaire (nature des produits consommés, liens avec la santé, liens avec les systèmes de production) et le rôle des politiques publiques pour favoriser la transition alimentaire. La présence timide de l’assiette dans les politiques publiques …