An increasing number of people in Europe are worried about the quality of the food they are eating as well as the environmental and social impact of its production. More and more people are therefore trying to eat locally, organic, etc. Despite this enthusiasm, access to quality food is limited to people with low incomes. All over Europe, initiatives are seeking to create spaces and experiences that take into account both the environmental and social impact of products as well as the need to facilitate access to quality food for all.

Below are examples of the different types of actions (in orange) and policies (in green) that aim to facilitate access to food.

Pictures by Tlandhuis, Orti Urbani Garbatella, Urgenci and Incredible Edible

Community supported agriculture (CSA)

The CSA initiatives consist in creating a direct link between consumers and producers, taking into account the environmental and social impact of the production process.

Network of CSA initiatives : http://www.urgenci.net

Self-production

In the face of industrial modes of mass production, the DIY "Do It Yourself" initiative has emerged as a way to reclaim the means of production - reducing both cost and production in a framework that takes into account the social and environmental impact.

Avoiding waste

Nearly 50% of healthy, edible food is wasted each year in the European Union, while nearly 115 million people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion and 16 million depend on food aid charities. This waste amounts to 89 million tonnes per year, or 179 kg per person, excluding waste in the sector of agricultural production and the fish thrown back into the sea. Food waste occurs throughout the production and supply chain, from the stages of agricultural production to final consumption, through storage, processing, distribution and management. In response to this situation, some experiences consist in recollecting the food in order to avoid waste.

Solidarity eatery

Access to quality food can also be done through solidarity eateries. There are in place many projects that provide access to low-income familes, groups or individuals, with certain restaurants or "eateries" catering to a diverse audience of all social backgrounds.

ALL examples of Actions and Policies

• Please note: ACTIONS (in orange) and POLICIES (in green)

Time Bank of Athens

Auteur : Lorna Muddiman - Publié le : 2013-04-18 13:02 -

The Athens Time Bank was created in May 2011, at Sydagma Square, when thousands of people gathered there to participate in mass strikes and demonstrations.

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C.R.E.A. Solidarity fighting waste

Auteur : alessandra sciurba - Publié le : 2013-04-16 08:42 -

The project C.R.E.A. (Surplus Food Recovery Centre) aims to collect surplus food (i.e. goods that cannot be sold but that are still consumable), both fresh and packaged, from the small, medium and large retailers, for their redistribution to people living in conditions of poverty and social exclusion. The main actors involved in its organisation are people who live in the Community of St. Benedetto al Porto, who through this work implement their emancipation and autonomy. The project is partly implemented and partly remains to be implemented.

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The Garden of Eden Project

Auteur : Lorna Muddiman - Publié le : 2013-04-12 12:31 -

The Garden of Eden Project is one way to help your community take local action towards local and global environmental improvement. One tangible way to address climate change is to plant trees. Not only this, it is an opportunity to bring a community together to design and create a common project that is eco-friendly, sustainable and will give back to the community in years to come.

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Urban Gardens in Rome 2 - The Eut-Orto Project

Auteur : alessandra sciurba - Publié le : 2013-04-03 07:42 -

In September 2010, some workers of the corporation Eutelia Information Technology in Rome, after having been made ​​redundant as a result of the crisis that hit the company, decided to create an urban garden community cultivating 3000 square meters of land owned by the Province of Rome, for consuming and selling agricultural products, thus continuing to work together and maintaining the visibility of their dispute for the workplace.

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Urban gardens in Rome 1 - Common urban gardens in Garbatella

Auteur : alessandra sciurba - Publié le : 2013-04-03 07:08 -

In the last year in the city of Rome, different experiences of urban gardens have arisen as a form of opposition to unemployment and increasing poverty but also to overbuilding, cementation, and privatization of public territory. Here below are two of the main initiatives. Some associations and social centers of the district of Garbatella in Rome, with the participation of many citizens, decided to occupy an abandoned area in order to create a common garden.

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ADEVICO's workshops for responsible consumption

Auteur : Joël Obrecht - Publié le : 2013-03-08 00:10 -

How to be environmentally responsible and to save money in your consumer habits. Since 2008 ADEVICO, a French NGO, is providing an answer to this question by conducting workshops in which participants learn to make their own cheap and environmentally-friendly products.

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