Politics on the Plate – Visions and Demands for Urban Food of the Future (Vienna)

Event background

As part of its thematic priority on food and agriculture, the Green European Foundation wants to bring together different actors of the food system to find alternative solutions to our current food supply which has negative impacts not only on us humans but more so on our environment. Furthermore, GEF’s activities aim to highlight and to support alternative proposals to the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union.

About the event

As part of a two-day symposium on urban agriculture with a particular focus on Vienna, GEF is organising, with the support of Grüne Bildungswerkstatt, a conference focusing on the political dimensions while fostering the exchange of best practices by inviting highlight projects from all over Europe to share their experiences with alternative urban food supply.

The objective is to get inspiration from each other as well as to formulate concrete recommendations for local politicians as well as citizens on how to ensure urban food supply of the future.

Programme

Friday, 18th October

10:00 Welcome and introduction – Rüdiger Maresch

10:30 – 12:30 European highlight projects of urban food policy

• Dirk Holemans: Gent en Garde, Belgium
• Emma Peyron: Copenhagen Food House, Denmark
• tbc: Janet Sanz Cid: Barcelona, Catalonia-Spain

Q&A

12:30 – 13:15 Lunch break

13:15 – 14:45 Workshops: The political dimension of food

Workshop 1: Nutrition and social policies

• Thomas Barborik: Food saving in Vienna
• Melanie Oßberger, FIAN Austria: Human rights violation hunger – political causes, false solutions, and the right to food

Discussion in groups: How can the city contribute to improve the situation?

Workshop 2: Nutrition and environment

• tbc, Global 2000: Environmental destruction through agriculture
• Thomas Putzgruber, Verein RespekTiere: Insight the stables of the farmer next door

Discussion in groups: How can the city contribute to improve the situation?

Following the workshops, participants exchange in plenary and share input.

14:45 – 15:00 Coffee break

15:00 – 16:15 Panel debate: Urban food of the future – visions and demands for a modern food supply in Vienna

With: Felix Münster (Ernährungsrat Vienna), Marta Lopez Cifuentes, tbc, (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, department for sustainable agriculture), Martina Pluda (Vier Pfoten Austria), moderated by Dagmar Tutschek (Director Grüne Bildungswerkstatt)

17:00 – 19:00 Evening workshops

3 stations of interactive workshops, among others at the city farm Augarten

Saturday, 19th October

On Saturday, 19th October, the symposium is continued with at Nationalparkhaus Lobau in Vienna with a specific focus on the situation in Vienna, looking at the current food supply in Vienna and inspiring initiatives for alternative (self-)supply. The day will be completed with excursions that will bring participants together with urban farmers, beekeepers, food cooperatives and more. As of 20:00 the evening will be concluded with a joint dinner at Kleine Stadtfarm.

To register, please send an email to anmeldung@gbw.at.