Food security, sovereignty and resilience: The role of short food supply chains – Advisinar

To investigate the ways in which shortening food supply chains can enhance the resilience of food systems throughout Europe and other regions, researchers, policymakers and advisors convened.

Under the banner of another #AdvisorsMonday, the EU4Advice and COREnet projects hosted a unique group of participants, advisors, and policymakers around the subject of timely and long-term relevance: the role of short food supply chains (SFSCs) in food security, sovereignty and resilience.

This gathering featured five speakers based throughout Europe, each presenting a unique and complementary prism: covering regulatory frameworks, European agricultural policy, digital innovation, resilience theory and urban-rural dynamics. Collectively, their works created a multi-dimensional image of how SFSCs might benefit communities in the present and the future.

This conversation took place at a time when food systems across the globe are increasingly strained – by climate disruption to geopolitical instability – and the issue of how local and regional supply chains can ground food security is all the more urgent.

Voices from the session.

• Yuna Chiffoleau Took the audience through the French regulatory environment, exploring the implications of current structures on food security and sovereignty in practice through SFSCs – and what the opportunities are in them.
• Ines Jordana Provided the lens of DG AGRI, to make the attendees see how the short supply chains could be integrated into the modern and rather unclear European food policy framework and what the institutional thought is moving towards.
• Alejandro Wonenburger García Discussed the role of digital tools in empowering short food supply chains, which is timely as a reminder that properly used technology can actually benefit communities, instead of displacing them.
• Thomas O’Connor Elucidated the two-way interaction of SFSCs and resilience: local food systems are not merely more shock resilient, but determine the capacity of communities to recover following a shock.
• Zoltan Dezseny Explored the rural-urban aspect, revealing how cities can be made more food-secure through the re-establishment of the meaningful relationship with the territories that supply them with food – a mutually beneficial relationship.

Throughout the five contributions, a common thread ran: short food supply chains are not merely a logistical or economic structure. They are a statement of principles – regarding closeness, trust, responsibility and unity. They are a physical means of bringing food systems nearer to the people who rely on them in an ever more volatile world.

Watch the video of the #advisinar here!