PLAT4TERFOOD

• Overall objective:
Faced with climate change and an increase in food-related illnesses, policy-makers are looking for new ways to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns and food systems. The development of territorialised food systems (TFS) is being put forward as a potential solution. By TFS, we mean all the stakeholders and their interrelationships who are located in the same geographical area (from regional to inter-municipal level), and who produce, process, sell, circulate, buy and consume ‘local’ food products.

The aim of the PLAT4TERFOOD project is to set up a platform bringing together existing quantitative data on these TFS and the methods and devices identified or developed as part of the project to better characterise these systems and assess their impacts over time.

• Scientific and societal challenges:

The scientific challenges are to develop methods for collecting quantitative data on territorialised food systems, at national and local level, and to structure a French scientific community on these systems. The work is being carried out in close collaboration with local food stakeholders and citizens, as part of a participatory research and citizen science approach.

The societal challenges are to change consumer behaviour and food systems towards more sustainable practices, by providing quantitative data and methods to support public, private and citizen action.

• Project focuses:
Axis 1. Co-construction of national and local observatories on the diversity and location of TFS actors;
Axis 2. Assessment of the sustainability of TFS and of their contribution to the transition of food systems and consumer behaviours;
Axis 3. Analysis of material and food flows in TFS;
Axis 4. Inventory and equipment of public policies and institutional arrangements supporting the emergence and the development of TFS.