On 7 October 2020, the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRAE) and the Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences (AgroParisTech) presented FoodE during Science Week France. The project was discussed in the context of the online event “Science en direct” as part of the theme “Metamorphosis in the city” where French researchers presented their innovative projects.
Véronique Saint-Gès, (researcher at INRAE) and Agnès Lelièvre (lecturer at AgroParisTech) talked about the importance of agricultural education in schools and how raising awareness of healthy and high-quality food can have a positive impact on society. They underlined the reasons why FoodE is a remarkable agricultural project.
FoodE not only educates citizens about healthy food, but also creates employment opportunities and promotes social inclusion. Everyone is welcome to join a local urban project or start its own urban agriculture project in a schoolyard, on a sidewalk or even on a balcony.
Urban agriculture is not aiming to replace traditional rural agriculture. At present, urban agriculture can only provide 10% of needed vegetables and fruits. FoodE focuses on social and educational aspects of urban agriculture. It aims to connect people living in cities with farmers from rural areas, provide education for the young generation about sustainable and healthy food, and increase the chances of employment in sustainable agriculture.
For the next four years, FoodE will work on creating sustainable and resilient City/Region Food Systems (CRFS) by organising online educational events for young people and bringing citizens from across Europe together.
The full interview is available in the video below (from 1:16:30).
