On November 25, we organized a Café Sciences around the topic of “Food Sovereignty and Food System Sustainability: Friends or Foes?” presented by Hens Runhaar and Matthijs Mouthaan from Utrecht University. This event was held in relation to the Conference Erasmus Descartes of November 27 organized by the Embassy of France in the Netherlands and the Embassy of the Netherlands in France.
As many would know, recent geopolitical shocks and shifts have moved food security and food sovereignty to become top priorities for agrifood agendas across Europe and beyond. Both speakers, Hens and Matthijs, each in their own style, explained to the large and diverse audience that the necessary transformation for these priorities is a source of discussion and contestation. They argued as an example that at the European level many critics consider the current momentum for regulatory simplification at odds with the necessary incentives to make agriculture more sustainable and ensure healthy, safe and reliable food production in the long run. As they pointed out, the current debate often suggests that food sovereignty and food system sustainability are foes. However, as they showcased during an interactive debate with the audience composed of specialists (in particular the 12 Young Talents present) and non-specialists, sovereignty and sustainability can still mutually benefit from one another despite this adversarial framing.
We want to thank Hens and Matthijs for providing us with much #foodforthought during this insightful and inspiring event! We closed the evening with real food in an informal setting that offered an opportunity for conviviality and further discussions and networking.
We also want to thank our partners in organizing this event l’Institut Français des Pays-Bas, Nuffic and l’Alliance Française Rotteram.
Looking forward to the next Café Sciences on February 10th, so save the date 🙏
francosciencespaysbas.com 