Agnes Zolyomi's blog

RECOMS 2nd Training Event called an action learning trainining project on agroecology and food sovereignty took place in Coventry between 1-8 February lead by RECOMS partner, Shared Assets, and continued in Brussels where the fellows had the opportunity to present their current research status to the European Commission. During the two weeks, the focus was on developing a project in smaller groups in three various topics relevant for Coventry and agroecology.

Stephen Leitheiser, RECOMS fellow recently attended the second annual Vernetzungskongress der Ernährungsräte (Congress for German-speaking Food Policy Councils) which took place in Frankfurt from 23-25 November 2018. Here representatives from 28 Food Policy Councils (FPCs) from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands met to map out a future towards Food Democracy. In learning of their experiences he learned that there are many paths toward the horizon of Food Democracy - and they are all winding.  

Citizen-led Food Policy Councils (FPCs, called an Ernährungsratin Germany) have been long-standing in the United States and Canada.  But, in recent years Europe has seen an increasing emergence of food initiatives seeking transformative political change in the food system and beyond.  Stephen recently traveled to Berlin, Germany for a meeting of the Berlin Food Policy Council (BFPC) to begin exploring the political dimensions of citizen-led food initiatives.