Climate Change

Future is Served! Shaping Food Systems Together.

The program supports local authorities to work together with citizens, the (agricultural) economy, and civil society to design more sustainable regional food systems.

About the project

The program “Future is Severed!” supports local authorities to work with citizens, actors from agriculture and the economy, and civil society to make regional food systems more sustainable. Ideas and concrete actions are developed and tested through participatory and inclusive processes. Together with our partners B.A.U.M. Consult, IKU_DIE DIALOGGESTALTER and the Bundesverband für Regionalbewegung e.V. (Federal Association for Regional Movements), we offer a broad knowledge transfer in the application phase, during which interested municipalities identify specific topics and projects, as well as devise suitable models for citizen participation. Rural communities with up to 50,000 citizens can be funded under the program.

Up to 10 municipalities in Germany will receive funding and ongoing professional support. Within the funded projects, local authorities, civil society actors, the (rural) economy, and citizens will develop compromises together aimed at the common good. By doing so, conflicting objectives are made visible, mandates are sharpened, and solutions are developed and tested that are suitable for future generations.

The project will be scientifically evaluated throughout its implementation phase. This will demonstrate the potential of different participatory methods for shaping sustainable, healthy, and inclusive food environments at the local level. The international discourse and the experiences gained from good practices in other European countries will also be included in the project.

There are many good reasons for local authorities to think about the food system. Food is often produced, processed, and consumed locally. Topics like health, affordability of products and fair wages, as well as landscapes, climate change, regional development, and resilience move into the spotlight. Additionally, the food system is under enormous pressure on a global scale and is part of highly polarized debates.

At the same time, more and more people are thinking about how to achieve a successful transformation of the food sector and want to be involved in local decision-making processes. It is becoming increasingly clear that the involvement of civil society actors and engaged citizens in such processes can increase social acceptance and positively affect the development of a more sustainable food system.

The overall aim of the project is to support municipalities in the cooperative, constructive, and regional development of the food system in cooperation with science, civil society, politics, and citizens. During a two-year funding period, the selected municipalities and initiatives will receive professional support in the development of their projects. They can access resources and receive advice on the implementation of inclusive participation processes, as well as network, and exchange ideas with experts and comparable municipal projects.

In particular, the project aims to develop measures that foster participatory and democratic principles in local processes and involve the local population. For example, measures can be initiated that target healthy and climate-friendly food, educational programs, or the involvement of citizens in the food supply. Cooperative markets for producers and consumers are also possible, as well as initiatives like a 'weekly sustainable foods market', or a producer-consumer initiative for products with a guarantee of local origin.

Politicians, civil society and the (agricultural) economy work together with citizens to analyse their local food system, explore options for shaping it and initiate suitable measures. During a two-year funding phase, the selected communities and initiatives will receive professional support in jointly assessing the situation, developing their projects, networking stakeholders and implementing measures. The project will be scientifically monitored and evaluated throughout to demonstrate the potential of different participatory methods for shaping sustainable, healthy and inclusive food environments at the community level. We also focus on international exchange of experiences and learning good practices from other European countries.