Food systems contribute simultaneously to climate change and depletion of natural resources. Climate change can also affect adversely food production in many world regions. This can increase food prices and disproportionately affect lower income households and remote regions. This project engages S1-S2 school pupils and their communities in four different locations in Scotland (rural, urban, islands, highlands) with the objective to investigate the following questions in support of the EU Sustainable Development Goals:
1) Where the food they eat comes from;
2) What are the impacts of food consumption on the countries of origin (carbon, water and land footprints);
3) What is the role of local food production and consumption in the achievement of SDG 13 – Climate Action (climate change mitigation and adaptation), and SDGs 2 No hunger, 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12 – Responsible Production and Consumption, 14 – Life below water, 15 – Life on Land;
4) What local actions can be implemented to achieve the SDGs and;
5) How to measure progress.
Pupils and their communities are designing local strategies and actions that ensure sustainable food systems, i.e., those promoting all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing, have low environmental pressure and impact, are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable, and are culturally acceptable. The SDGs are being applied at the local level and this is aligned with the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS) research programme (https://shefsglobal.lshtm.ac.uk/), which aims at bridging the gap between science and practice to understand and solve current social and environmental problems. In the UK, SHEFS focus areas are in 1) Land use impact on diet and health, and 2) food system sustainability, international trade patterns, and impacts to inequities in diet and health. The goal of the SHEFS UK programme is to develop predictive modelling systems to inform national food policy in the face of the developing climate emergency and national obesity crisis.
Results from Food Systems in a Changing Climate will inform the Scottish Government on progress made regarding the implementation of the SDGs at the local level.
Further Reading:
Sustainable food systems—a health perspective: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-018-0586-x
Climate change and agriculture: https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0600/
