On 22 January food system researchers, governance and market representatives were gathering in Brussels to participate in the final conference of the GLAMUR project. During his presentation on the project's main results Gianluca Brunori illustrated that sustainability performance is a multi-stakeholder, multi-dimensional and multi-scale process that incorporates multiple values and interests. Brunori continued by suggesting that “local” and “global” should be recognised as different, yet complementary concepts. Finally, the presentation stressed that sustainability performance assessment could be the tool that helps to improve sustainability.
GLAMUR leaflet can be found here.
GLAMUR booklet can be downloaded here.
Notwithstanding the fact that project has led to a broad range of conclusions, this conference was primarily dedicated to governance implications these conclusions have. In this context Tim Lang presented the co-authored report by Julie Smith, Tim Lang, Bill Vorley and David Barling “Policy Recommendations and Policy Implementation Roadmap”. Lang presented three potential roadmaps for possible food futures: (1) Business-as-usual: ‘local’ and ‘global’ co-exist in tension; (2) Systems change: sustainability re-shapes the food system; (3) Big food world: TTIP, recession and short-termism. Also his presentation stressed the messiness of contemporary food systems and the importance of food chain comparative performance assessment for reducing the messiness and for evidence-based policy making. The full report also extensively describes challenges the project poses to policy. Full policy report can be read here.
The final conference was also yet another opportunity to present the cartoon that has been created to illustrate the project’s results. The cartoon captures the difficulties consumers may face when left to decisions concerning sustainability performance of their daily consumed products. However, the cartoon also captures the new ways science is being disseminated and illustrates how scientists try to reach out to ever new social groups to communicate their research results. The cartoon can be watched here.
During the conference several chaired discussions took place.
To read more about GLAMUR visit project’s web page www.glamur.eu.
To read more about BSC involvement in the project visit http://bscresearch.lv/en/projects/glamur