Discuss sustainable food systems in different Nordic contexts

What do sustainable agro-marine food systems mean in different Nordic contexts? This is the focus for an upcoming webinar (June 14th) arranged by an NKJ co-funded network.

 

Formally, the Nordic region consists of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the self-governed Danish areas of Greenland, the Faeroe Islands and the Finnish self-governed isles of Åland. Altogether it is an area of 3,5 million km² with a total of 25 million inhabitants. If on one hand, the Nordic countries share many characteristics and give place to a common food culture, on the other there are also enormous differences among them.

Aim of this webinar is to explore the commonalities, differences and peculiarities of the Nordic national food systems and try to understand if there is just one common Nordic approach to food sustainability or many.

You are warmly welcome to join our webinar and join the discussion about the Nordic food systems!

The time for the webinar is 14th of June 2023, 12:00 – 14:00 CET (UTC +2).

Please register by June 12th!


Agenda for the webinar (CET time)

12:00 Welcoming words Silvia Gaiani, Senior Researcher at Helsinki University Ruralia Institute and Coordinator of the NKJ funded Nordic Research Network

12:05 Introduction by the moderator Maja Kruuse, ICE Innovation Festival in Kirkenes, Norway

12:15 The Norwegian food system with a special view to food consumption and sustainability Gunnar Vittersø, Senior Researcher, SIFO – National Institute for Consumer Research, OSLOMET, Norway

12:30 The Finnish food system: A selection of specificities and issues Xavier Irz, Professor, Department of Economics and Management – Agricultural Economics – University of Helsinki, Finland 

12:45 Sustainable food provision from an indigenous perspective – Sami perspectives from Sweden Ildiko Aztalos Morell, Associate Professor in Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden

13:00 Local knowledge and skill sharing – a key pillar of sustainability and resilience to the Faroese food system Sunniva Gudmundsdóttir Mortensen, anthropologist, food activist and social entrepreneur, Faroe Islands

13:15 Barriers to a circular blue bioeconomy in Iceland Nína M. Saviolidis, Post-doc researcher, University of Iceland, Iceland

13:30 Importance of innovation and collaboration in the food system in Denmark Lars Visbech Sørensen, CEO, Food Bio cluster Denmark, Denmark

13:45-14:00 Q&A

 

Contact:
Silvia Gaiani

Iida Alasentie

OPEN CALL: research networks in agriculture and food system

Researchers in agriculture and the food industry can now apply for funding for networking activities aimed at increasing the sectors’ sustainability, resilience and competitiveness.

Deadline for application submission is April 21th, 2022.

 

 

Text på svenska längre ner
With this funding opportunity, NKJ wants to interlink researchers in the Nordic region to find solutions on how to sustainably transform the food system.

That transformation is a powerful tool to reach the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). We need to change the way we produce, consume and think about food; a new food narrative that acknowledges systems issues in agriculture – from broken nutrient cycles to biodiversity loss, erosion, fossil fuel dependence and CO2 emissions – interlinked issues that could in part be solved at the regional level.

NKJ encourages networks that relate to aspects of transformation and transition in agriculture and the food system at large to apply for funding. The focus could be either on farms or focusing anywhere from the downstream refinement of agricultural products to upstream innovations and production flows needed to increase primary agricultural production in the Nordic region. The goal is to encourage activities directed to novel tools and improve current production to increase resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of agriculture in the Nordic region.

Call conditions
Networks should include applicants from research institutions from at least three different countries in the Nordic region.

Each gender must be represented by a minimum of 40% of the participants in the network.

PhD students and young researchers should be included in the network.

Network grants are for two years of activities from August 2022 to July 2024.

Stakeholders are encouraged to participate but cannot be main applicants.

Economic framework
The amount applied for from NKJ can be maximum 300.000 SEK. The funding should primarily be spent on costs for arranging scientific meetings, workshops and conferences including accommodation, travel and conference fees but could also cover costs for designing policy recommendations based on research findings, write large-scale research funding applications, creating or maintaining databases or websites (excluding hardware) and communication activities.

Networks are expected to co-finance at least 50% of the total budget.

Read more:
Call text

Application form

 

 

Text in Swedish

Forskare inom jordbruk och livsmedelsindustri kan nu söka medel för nätverksaktiviteter som syftar till att öka sektorernas hållbarhet, motståndskraft och konkurrenskraft.

Sista dag för ansökan är 21 April 2022.

 

 

Med denna utlysning vill NKJ länka samman nordiska forskare för att hitta ett hållbart sätt att omvandla livsmedelssystemet.

Den omvandlingen är ett kraftfullt verktyg för att nå de 17 globala hållbarhetsmålen. Vi måste förändra vårt sätt att producera, konsumera och tänka på mat; ett nytt matbegrepp som tar hänsyn till de systemproblem som finns inom jordbruket: från brutna näringskretslopp till förlust av biologisk mångfald, erosion, beroende av fossila bränslen och CO2-utsläpp – frågor som hänger ihop och som delvis skulle kunna lösas på regional nivå.

NKJ uppmuntrar nätverk som relaterar till olika aspekter av omvandling och omställning av jordbruket och livsmedelssystemet i stort att skicka in sin ansökan. Fokus kan vara antingen på gårdsnivå eller valfri nivå i kedjan från förädling av jordbruksprodukter, till innovationer och produktionsflöden som behövs för att öka den primära jordbruksproduktionen i Norden.

NKJ vill uppmuntra aktiviteter som syftar till att åstadkomma nya verktyg och förbättra nuvarande produktion för att öka motståndskraften, hållbarheten och konkurrenskraften för jordbruket i Norden.

Krav
Nätverk ska ha sökande från forskningsinstitutioner i minst tre olika nordiska länder.

Vardera könen ska vara representerade av minst 40% av nätverkets medlemmar. 

PhD-studenter och unga forskare ska vara aktiva i nätverket.

Finansiering ges för aktiviteter från augusti 2022 till juli 2024.

Intressenter utanför forskarvärlden uppmuntras att delta i nätverken men kan inte vara huvudsökande.

Ekonomiska ramar
Finansieringen från NKJ uppgår som mest till 300 000 SEK. Finansieringen ska främst gå till att arrangera vetenskapliga möten, workshops och konferenser inkluderande boende, resor och konferensavgifter men kan också användas för att utforma policy.rekommendationer baserade på forskningsrön, skriva större ansökningar om forskningsmedel, skapa databaser och hemsidor och kommunikationsinsatser.

Läs mer:
Utlysningstext

Ansökningsformulär