Actors of transition for more sustainable food systems
Since 2010, the WFSC has collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group to offer a three-day course for ETH Zurich Master’s students at the FAO headquarters in Rome.
Every spring, 20 ETH Zurich students travel to the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome for an immersive learning experience. This year, the course (04-06 April 2018) focused on food security in an urbanized world. The course coincided with the external page Second International Symposium on Agroecology, which allowed the students the experience of joining an international symposium held at the FAO as part of the Swiss delegation.
The daily content of the course was led by Dr. Dominque Barjolle, Sustainable Agroecosystems, and Dr. Martijn Sonnevelt, WFSC Executive Director. The students learned how the FAO contributes to increase sustainability and resilience in food systems, and also worked in groups to develop innovate strategies for urban food system networks. That Henk Renting from the RUAF Foundation, who himself runs urban farming projects together with the FAO, took the time to participate and provide feedback on students’ ideas was also a highlight.
The WFSC appreciates the ongoing commitment and valuable support of the Ambassador of Switzerland to FAO, IFAS and the WFP, François Pythoud, and his team. And thanks to all the students for their inspiring engagement and motivation. We are looking forward to next year’s course!
