The European Union (EU)-funded FOODCITYBOOST project is a ground-breaking initiative that is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe Program. Aimed at promoting urban agriculture in Europe, the project reached an important milestone with the realization of the first physical meeting of the partners of the consortium. The event took place at the modern premises of the project coordinator, Dutch university Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) from 3 to 5 April 2024. The meeting of the partners marked the start of a collaborative journey to revolutionize European urban agriculture. The European project officially started its activity on January 30, 2024, with the digital kick-off meeting. The recent meeting was a good opportunity for project participants to gather and interact with each other to discuss important issues and strengthen the project’s foundations.

As project coordinator Pierre Chopin from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stated, “Urban gardens, rooftop farming and LED indoor crops make up flexible agricultural systems that are now an integral part of agri-food systems and people’s lifestyles. European citizens. However, the multiple benefits they offer and the ways in which policy formulation and practice can support them and contribute to their development, have much room for clarification and are imperative to be supported. The FOODCITYBOOST project aims to investigate the current and future conditions affecting the development of urban agriculture, as well as the potential impacts of its development, in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Over the next four years the 20-partner* consortium – which includes universities, NGOs and policy makers from nine European countries – will work with stakeholders to boost the sustainable development of urban and peri-urban agriculture for all Europeans.” .

An exciting three-day journey with inspiring themes

The first day (April 3, 2024) began with the creation of the conditions for fruitful discussions between the partners. The first two thematic sections delved into the basics of the project, starting with the overall overview and details of its coordination. Their presentation was carried out by the coordinator of the project, Pierre Chopin. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and gain a clear understanding of the project’s goals.

After the two introductory sections, Grigoris Hatzikostas of Foodscale Hub referred to the identity of the project, analyzing the communication strategy and methods to successfully share the scientific data of the project and achieve its comprehensive and effective visibility and communication.
European Union policymakers monitoring the project praised its importance, noting that it is in line with current policies and needs of cities. Additionally they focused on ‘key’ points to ensure its successful completion.

On the second day (4 April 2024), Vincent O’Connell from the EU’s Peri-Urban Regions Platform Europe – (PURPLE) set the stage for the discussion on the “Living Labs” which are a key element of the project . Then the representatives of the 6 Living Labs took the floor, who spoke about their history, their activity, expected results, limitations and possible obstacles. This was followed by three modules that covered issues of data analysis and evaluation of urban agriculture and its social, economic and environmental impact. Speakers of the modules were Jan-Eelco Jansma from the Dutch Wageningen University and Research, Verónica Arcas Pilz from the Spanish Autonomous University of Barcelona and Beatrice Walthall from the German Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research.

On the third and final day (5 April 2024), Anna Kirstgen from the German research organization Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Haïssam Jijakli from the Belgian University of Liège and Nynke Schulp from the VU Amsterdam presented the topics of future trends that will influence the practices of European urban agriculture, the process of collaborative design of innovative urban agriculture systems and the assessment of the impact of urban agriculture development on a local as well as on a broad (national and European) scale. At the end of the day’s program, a series of sessions were held to plan the project’s actions for the coming weeks, while everyone engaged in discussions and questions and answers to gain a deeper understanding of the project’s goals and methodology.

An excellent start

The three-day route of the 1st physical meeting of the project partners concluded with the “World Café Session” section where the needs of local groups and communities were discussed and assessed. After the completion of this topic as well, Mr. Chopin expressed his satisfaction for the enthusiastic participation and spirit of cooperation of the partners as well as for the fruitful results of the overall process. It was definitely a great start for FOODCITYBOOST!

For more information about the project you can visit its official website, www.foodcityboost.eu.