Decoding Polarisation in Debates on Sustainable Food Systems: A 3-Part Workshop Series

Developing sustainable food systems is an existential and complex issue. There are several interconnected goals to consider – feeding a growing population, ensuring food safety and security, promoting environmental sustainability, safeguarding rural communities’ culture and way of life, and enabling technological innovation and economic progress – which can sometimes appear to be in conflict with one another. Building sustainable food systems in Europe (and indeed globally) is an existential challenge – one that is made harder to overcome when conversations around potential solutions and policy reforms devolve into false dichotomies, such as “us versus them” or “right versus wrong” narratives.

In this 3-part online workshop series, jointly organised by ALLEA and Re-Imagine Europa, participants take a deep dive into these complexities and the polarisation evident in the debates on how to get there. The hands-on and interactive workshops build on each other as they explore the “who”, “what”, “where”, and “why” of  the current state of polarisation, and thereafter devise “how” we can depolarise these critical conversations needed to arrive at innovative solutions for an inclusive and equitable future.

The workshop series is by invitation only. However, if you are interested in the workshops (particularly if you are part of the agriculture/production and/or policy community), do reach out to us via email to request participation.

Workshop 1

 Actors and Agendas – Analysing “Who” are the Players in Sustainable Food Systems and “What” are their Interests

In the first workshop, which includes expert talks and group discussions/exercises, participants identify the different actors in the field of sustainable food systems and their interests/agendas, in order to find common ground as well as their legitimate divergences. We will attempt to arrive at a shared definition of “sustainability” given the diversity of perspectives, as well as examine how to overcome the current fragmentation of agents’ responsibilities and values to design innovative solutions.

Workshop 2

 Roots of Polarisation – Revealing the “Why”  

In the second workshop, participants deconstruct the social and contextual drivers of the polarisation in the field of building sustainable food systems, by going beyond the ‘Information Deficit Model’ and exploring current theories on mis- and disinformation, social indicators of trust, meta-narratives and identity/value-formation, among others.

Workshop 3

Depolarisation Tools and Solutions – Discovering “How” to Have Constructive Conversations on Sustainable Food Systems

In the final workshop, participants take the knowledge they have gathered on the actors and the social environment to discuss and design tools and methodologies to depolarise the conversations on sustainable food systems. This workshop will involve active participation in a simulation and related exercises.