Two thematic keynote and panel sessions are organized to stimulate discussion on and sharing of experiences of transdisciplinary research in practice. The first session will concentrate on transformative food policy measures and governance and the other on transformative innovations from systems perspective. The discussion is kicked off by three keynote speeches followed by a panel discussions with questions.
Session 1 Transformative governance: science-policy-engagements
Date: 27.5
Time: 9-10:45
Place: Viikki campus, A-building, room 110 (ls B1)
Chair: Research professor Minna Kaljonen, Finnish Environment Institute
Facts, Interests and Values: Why is agricultural policy so difficult to agree on?
Alan Matthews, Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
The new Danish CO2e-tax on agriculture – observations on the role of scientific advisers
Lars Gårn Hansen, professor at the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO), University of Copenhagen
Development and implementation of dietary guidelines: Possibilities and barriers
Jelena Meinilä, university researcher, Department of food and nutrition, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Session 2. Transformative innovations: science-practice-collaborations
Date: 28.5
Time: 9-10:45
Place: Viikki Campus, A-building, Raisio-hall (ls B2)
Chair: Vice Dean, Professor Mari Sandell, University of Helsinki
Applied systems science in food systems transformations
Deniz Koca, researcher and principal investigator at Lund University (LU), Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC), chair of EIT FOOD Protein EIT Food Protein Diversification Think Tank.
Resilience is the new efficiency: a vision for European farming in the new world order
Rogier Schulte, professor on the Future of Farming and Food at Wageningen University and Research
Interaction and collaboration between science, industry and consumers, ecosystem challenges for ensuring the sustainability of food and packaging
Sandra Muizniece-Brasava, professor, Food Institute of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies
Alan Matthews is Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. His research interests include EU agricultural policy, agricultural trade policy, and agricultural trade and development issues. In addition to academic papers, he has contributed to policy reports on food and agricultural issues for the FAO, the OECD, and the European Parliament, among others. He is a former President of the European Association of Agricultural Economists and has been a member of Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council. He is a regular contributor to the blog capreform.eu on issues relating to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Jelena Meinilä is a university researcher (PhD, title of docent) at the Department of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, Finland. She was involved in compiling the scientific evidence for the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 (NNR2023), which are the scientific foundation for nutrient recommendations and food-based dietary guidelines for the eight Nordic and Baltic countries. The NNR2023 is also used by numerous other countries outside the region for their national nutrition policies. She was a member of the working group developing the Finnish Nutrition Recommendations 2024. She is an author or co-author of 43 scientific publications, with the recent ones integrating environmental aspects to nutrition research.
Lars Gårn Hansen, born March,1959, focuses his research on the theory of regulation, compliance and enforcement. His main interest is environmental, resource and consumer regulation, but other areas such as consumer behavior regarding environmental and health implications (food and electricity) are covered as well. Basic research with applications to the aforementioned is also carried out within cooperation, norms and behavioral and experimental economics. He is currently one of the chairmen of the economic councils that advise the government on economic and environmental economic issues.
Deniz Koca is a researcher and principal investigator at Lund University (LU), Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC). He holds a Ph.D. in Geobiosphere Science, M.Sc. in Environmental Studies & Sustainability Science, and B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering. His main expertise lies in systems analysis, system dynamics modelling and facilitation of stakeholder participatory group modelling process. He has initiated and been involved in various transdisciplinary research projects with the main task of analysing, interpreting, modelling, simulating and communicating alternative scenarios of complex dynamic environmental and socio-economic issues with a systems approach and within the sustainability criteria. Deniz has been teaching systems analysis and system dynamics modelling courses at undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. Deniz acts as the Coordinator and Director of Studies of BIOECONOMY Graduate Research School within the CEC and Vice President of EIT Food Protein Diversification Think Tank. He is a Donella Meadows Fellow and member of the Balaton Group and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) alumni.
Professor Dr Rogier Schulte is Chairholder of the Farming Systems Ecology group at Wageningen University and Research and Director of the Global Network of Lighthouse Farms. Rogier has over 25 years of experience in leading research on a sustainable future for farming and food. Together with a diverse range of stakeholders he specialises on the ‘radical redesign’ of food systems around the world, so that they are ready for tomorrow’s challenges. Starting at Teagasc in Ireland, he has been looking for on-farm innovations around the world, that his team has brought together in the Global Network of Lighthouse Farms. He teaches the next generation of decision makers on the lessons-learnt from these farms in Wageningen’s Masters Programme in Resilient Farming and Food. He is sharing the same insights with the current generation of decision makers in the Lighthouse Farm Academy.
Professor Sandra Muizniece-Brasava is a lecturer and researcher at the Food Institute of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU), as well as the Head of the Technology and Knowledge Transfer Office (TTO) of LBTU. Muizniece-Brasava is known for her contributions to the field of food storage and packaging sustainability. Her research interests are related to food quality preservation, improvement of storage conditions, and development of new product and packaging solutions specifically in the context of sustainability and circular economy. She is a full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Chairperson of the Board of the Packaging Association of Latvia and Project Manager of Eit Food Representative Office in Latvia. She is a co-author of more than 50 scientific publications, 5 Latvian Republic patents, books, and has participated in more than 30 projects of various levels. In 2024, S. Muižniece-Brasava is one of the 12 TOP scientists in Latvia 2024.
