Firstly, to create a joint interdisciplinary learning activity on sustainable food planning for both students and teachers. Secondly, to develop the discussion within academia and the planning professions on the need for sustainable food systems. We aim to link expert and local knowledge which not only helps to inform better decisions but also ensures plans and policies which are both grounded in state-of-the-art knowledge and local communities’ perceptions. The partnership between academic institutes with civil society and local authorities is supported by the Participatory Action Research nature of the project and the connected living labs. Thirdly, to collect and disseminate evidence of good practice in higher education by providing an inclusive open access course that makes use of digital environments and web-based collaboration that also is available for adult learners and learners with fewer opportunities. The primary target groups are university staff and students. Secondly, volunteers and local authorities officers involved in planning, NGOs, and communities that are active in sustainable food planning. The project relates to food governance (food councils) and policies, land management, and agroecological urbanism
A reform for the whole food system is urgent. Bringing together various sectoral policies that affect food production, processing, distribution, and consumption, and refocusing all actions on transition to sustainability. There are serious gaps in knowledge and transformative competences to address the challenges in a multi-disciplinary way. Food charters, food strategies, and food policy councils have multiplied, ‘alternative food networks’ have gained significant shares of the food market and new forms of (re)localisation of food production are gaining ground for new food policy strategies. Planning sustainable food production, food resilience, justice and security is more than ever urging us to look for more effective, equitable, and just approaches that radically change the way we grow food at the very core of our living space. Graduates of (spatial) planning courses, NGO staff and other actors and stakeholders need to fulfil an essential role in developing integrated territorial plans in a democratic way, and for this, they need to be able to take an inter-sectoral, multi-level, and multi-stakeholder approach. The AESOP4Food project supports teaching, learning, capacity building and exchange of knowledge for this.