Food being one of three areas of production and consumption having the highest negative environmental impacts, it forms part of the European Commission’s keystone project called the European Green Deal. After decades of industrialisation, the need for more local and sustainable food systems is widely acknowledged in public policy discourse at international, EU, national, regional and local levels. Whereas the local and solidarity-based partnerships for agroecology (LSPA), among which Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is the best-known model, are increasingly recognized as an important initiative for sustainable territorial food systems, there is still a substantial gap at the policy-making levels in translating this acknowledgement into public policy objectives and bottom-up participatory and collaborative initiatives. SALSIFI aims to develop and implement an innovative transnational education programme reinforcing the capacity of CSA networks and civil servants at local, regional, national and EU levels to engage in collaborative public food policy-making processes. It will specifically look into upskilling staff in non-formal education to foster knowledge sharing; implement training to strengthen capacity building staff’s knowledge to engage in collaborative institutional processes; and to adapt the training into an innovative digital learning content for public authorities and other actors having influence on key aspects of local food initiatives (such as (green) public procurement, financing, etc.). The education and training programme will particularly target people associated with locally supported (LSPA) initiatives and CSA networks, and civil servants in local, regional, and national administrations whose work can influence the support of sustainable local food systems – engaging over 250 people in total. SALSIFI will develop a modular training programme (Output 1) addressing three themes: building a collective understanding of how to engage in institutional processes and create relevant spaces for advocacy at EU level; increasing participant understanding of how to collectively position at the local level; and sharing best practices for collaborative local policy making on sustainable food systems. The framework will be supported by a comprehensive tool kit (Output 2), and will be adapted into an innovative digital e-training content (Output 3). Cross-cutting through all outputs, a number of adult learners from the network members of the project, the Capacity Building Agents, aka "CABBAGES" will be engaged in training and learning activities developing their knowledge and skills to engage in collaborative food policy making processes. Modules will be specifically pilot-tested in 8 countries (E1-8), and the framework will be implemented by carrying out three training sessions addressing specific angles (C1-3). A larger event will disseminate the outcomes of the project and seek to attract future participation into the e-training content (E9). This Collaborative Training Framework is rooted in the Participatory Action approach for learning, whereby collective analysis and learning is at the core of the knowledge production, and serves to promote the active participation of participants in the issues that shape their lives. This approach is especially relevant for adult education as part of citizen action (whether as part of a citizen movement or as a consum-actor), as it affirms that experience can be a basis of knowing and that experiential learning can lead to a legitimate form of knowledge that influences practice. This reflects both the philosophy and objectives of the members of this consortium. SALSIFI will help develop a culture of international cooperation, and enhance the training capacities and skills in non-formal education of participating organisations. The implementation of the training will further lead to an increased awareness of best institutional engagement practices and relevant institutional processes in their respective countries as well as at EU level for CSA networks, and of the role of CSAs in sustainable territorial food systems for local, regional and national authorities. It will also result in the development of an e-training programme on URGENCI’s e-learning platform.
SALSIFI aimed to implement an innovative transnational programme reinforcing the capacity of CSA networks and civil servants at local, regional, national and EU levels to engage in collaborative public food policy-making processes. The training programme particularly targeted people associated with locally supported (LSPA) initiatives and CSA networks, and civil servants in local, regional, and national administrations whose work can influence the support of sustainable local food systems. It specifically looked into upskilling staff in non-formal education to foster knowledge sharing; strengthen capacity building to be able to engage in institutional processes; and to adapt the training into an innovative digital learning content for actors having influence on key aspects of local food initiatives. Specific objectives were the following: Upskill participating organisations’ staff (SO1); Strengthen and expand CABBAGES (Capacity Building Agents) knowledge to engage in collaborative food policy-making processes (SO2); Adapt and Disseminate as Innovative Digital E-Training Content (SO3).
Whereas the Local and Solidarity-based Partnerships for Agroecology (LSPA), among which Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is the best-known model, are increasingly recognized as an important initiative for sustainable territorial food systems, there is still a substantial gap at the policy-making levels in translating this acknowledgement into concrete objectives and bottom-up participatory initiatives. Without proper engagement of civil society organizations to exercise their rights in the design, implementation and oversight of policies that affect them, public policies across Europe will be unable to confront the food and agriculture challenges in the 21st century. This citizen participation is all the more critical in the realisation of the transformations implied by the European Green Deal. Local governments are in a key position to articulate a transition to sustainable food systems at territorial level. They just need to get better access to resources and a bigger motivation to act for alternative food systems. CSA networks have identified capacity building on engaging in institutional processes for sustainable food systems as a key need.